


The Collection Point

by cruisedirector, Dementordelta



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Comic Book Violence, Electricity, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Humor, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, M/M, Minor Brunnhilde | Valkyrie/Sif (Marvel), Minor Gamora/Peter Quill, Oral Sex, POV Thor (Marvel), Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Sakaar (Marvel), Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:15:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23233093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cruisedirector/pseuds/cruisedirector, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dementordelta/pseuds/Dementordelta
Summary: Thor is looking for Loki. Quill is looking for Gamora. What better place to try than the collection point for lost things?
Relationships: Loki/Thor (Marvel)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 137
Collections: Your Cruise Director's Love Boat





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this took so long to get finished and posted -- turns out that being locked away because of coronavirus is a real energy-suck. This is still not properly betaed because after the long delays between chapters, we just wanted to get it posted!

It was unusual for Quail and the rabbit to be in agreement about anything. But when Thor told them where he wished to travel next, their replies were nearly in unison:

"That shithole? No way!"

"It will not be difficult for a pilot of your skills," Thor told Peter, smiling his most charming smile and gesturing at the ship's cross-wired controls. "We need only to approach one of the many wormholes that lead to Sakaar. Since I was able on my last visit to fly a ship through the Devil's Anus..."

"You flew into someone's anus? That's disgusting!" Rocket wrinkled his nose, though to be honest, his nose always looked wrinkled. 

"Not an actual shithole. The Devil's Anus is the name of the largest portal." Thor gave the rabbit a conspiratorial yet reassuring wink -- the sort that had always persuaded Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg to follow him into whatever gloriously treacherous situation he wished. "Time works differently on Sakaar. If we arrive through one of the wormholes..."

"It's too dangerous." Peter still tried to imitate Thor's voice, dropping his own an octave when he wanted to persuade Rocket and Groot to follow his lead. It might have been Thor's imagination, but from the face Nebula made whenever Peter did it, Thor didn't think so.

Thor had observed Peter for long enough to know that, even without his beloved Gamora there to impress, the half-Celestial would not publicly disagree when the God of Thunder proclaimed, "Everything worth doing is dangerous." Predictably, Peter ignored the comment, continuing to study his star charts, so Thor continued, "You seek Gamora, but now that the monster who raised her is gone, she has been set adrift. We recently discovered that she did not return to the planet of her birth. Sakaar is the collection point for all lost things. It makes sense to look for her there."

"I am Groot?" asked the tree, which might have been an innocent question, but Thor had learned to recognize the warning beneath such a simple request. Smiling, he hefted his axe to remind Groot of the bond they shared.

"I have indeed escaped from Sakaar before. When my sister Hela, the Goddess of Death, took over Asgard, she flung me out of the Bifrost and I found myself on Sakaar with my brother..."

"I knew it!" Once again, which was quite remarkable twice in ten minutes, Quail and the rabbit spoke simultaneously. 

"You're still looking for that brother of yours!" accused Rocket, pointing a furry finger.

"I am not bringing the God of Mischief onto my ship!" added Peter.

Doing his best to put on a shocked expression, Thor sputtered and held up his hands. "I have told you, the brother I knew died at the hands of _that man_." He debated whether to summon a tear, but decided it would disappear at once inside his full beard and do his argument no good. 

Peter made a dismissive gesture with his arm, shooting the others a familiar look that seemed meant to express frustration but to Thor always looked as though Peter was experiencing intestinal distress. "So you've told us, over and over. But --" Here he held up one finger, nearly waving it in Thor's face. "You're looking for the other one. The one who escaped with the Tesseract." He looked around at his ragtag crew as if he had said something profound. 

Thor also made a dismissive gesture, this one quite impressive, since it was with the hand holding his axe. " _That_ Loki could be anywhere or nowhere. In all our searching, we have heard no whispers of his deeds, nor seen evidence of his mischief." Out of the corner of his good eye, he could see Drax nodding, though that might have been a reaction to the knife he was polishing on the console. 

Mantis nodded as well, trailing her fingers over one of the bulkheads. "Still, you have been searching. You will always seek him, just as he will always seek you." 

Usually Thor had difficulty interpreting the insect-woman's metaphysical ramblings, but this time he just stared. "Loki will always seek --" he began, nearly missing the massive eyeroll exchanged by the rabbit and Peter. 

"Probably not a good idea to have the crazy god seeking us out," Rocket muttered. 

"He isn't crazy," Thor insisted, not certain when he had lost control of the conversation. He had a sudden vision of Loki, tesseract in hand, taking on one form after another, even his fellow crewmates, in pursuit of Thor to exact some sort of revenge. Though Thor resisted the urge to eye each of them in turn to search for signs that one of them might be his brother in disguise. It was a disturbingly vivid image. Shaking it off required an actual shake of his shaggy head. He had left his hair and beard unshaven, facing his own reflection in his cabin's mirror every morning with promises that beer could not answer. He'd begun to retrain his body, working out with weapons and simple sweat, and though he was far from his past glories, he was improving. 

A heavy slap to his back nearly knocked him off his feet, distracting Thor from his musings. "It must be hard to lose your only friend," Drax said.

Ignoring the snickers around him, Thor turned, reminding himself that the so-called Destroyer had a very narrow understanding of normal emotion and moreover that he had only known Thor for a very brief time. "Loki is not my only friend," he explained patiently. "I was quite popular on Asgard and Earth both."

"Maybe once, before --" Peter pantomimed chugging a beer in the slovenly manner of a man raised among ruffians rather than a Prince of Asgard. Thor was quite certain that he himself had never made such a repulsive glugging noise. "Anyway, you aren't on Asgard or Earth. You're on my ship." He punched in coordinates that would shift the center of the map away from Sakaar.

"Quail..."

"It's _Quill_. There's nothing wrong with your memory, so I think you're just trying to piss me off. You aren't as popular here as you were when you had the Avengers to make you look good." Though he was neither as tall nor did he speak with as rich a baritone as many of those Avengers, Peter drew himself up to his full height and dropped his voice again. "We are not going to Sakaar. That's final."

A silence, then, "I am Groot."

"Stay out of this." 

"I am Groot!" 

"He's right, Quill," muttered Nebula. "If you want to find my sister, Sakaar is as good a place to look as any."

Peter looked angry, or again, as if he had eaten something that was trying violently to come back and had not quite decided which orifice to use, but there were more nods at Nebula's pronouncement than before. Thor, ever gracious to his enemies in defeat, put on his best "Not Gloating" expression and waited for the inevitable verdict. 

"Perhaps he does not truly want to find his woman," Drax accused. 

"She's not my --" Peter began, but then Mantis and Rocket and Nebula all voiced objections, and Thor thought again about the lack of quality leadership on this ship. Stormbreaker could take him many places in the galaxy, but until he was back in his fittest form, he did not wish to risk the portals that guarded Sakaar unshielded. Or, for that matter, sober, though he had managed not to drink himself into a stupor since he'd come on board the Benatar. He held up one hand for silence, which was ignored.

Then the rabbit held up one paw and the crew quieted down. "Okay, if not Sakaar, then where?" 

All eyes went to the translucent map charts, with the coordinates for Sakaar still in the center, the guardian portals around it sparking like fiery moles on Surtur's backside. Lips nearly clenched closed, Peter ground out, "I suppose we could try Sakaar." Before anyone else could express an opinion, positive or otherwise, he went on, "But we are not -- _not_ \-- looking for any gods, crazy or otherwise."

"I think we will not need to," Mantis said, her wispy voice softening the flash of triumph Thor felt at the pronouncement. 

"Crazy gods have a way of finding us," agreed Rocket, not looking at Thor. The rabbit's frustration was understandable. Thor knew little about Rocket's early life, though to the best of Thor's knowledge, the rabbit had not been turned over by his own relatives to the scientists who had tormented him, genetically and cybernetically. But perhaps as a result, Rocket was not always sensitive to the sort of familial problems that Thor and Peter had in common with Gamora and Nebula. 

"I shall keep you and the tree safe," Thor assured Rocket, patting him on the shoulder on his way to the helm. Quill started to object, but as Thor reminded the shorter man, "I know the terrain." The thought niggled at the back of his mind that when he had left Sakaar previously, he had left it in the throes of revolution, so much might have changed since his previous visit, but he was fairly certain that he could pilot them safely through the Devil's Anus leaving them none the worse for wear.

Or perhaps only a bit the worse for wear, he was forced to admit when his consciousness returned on the far side of the wormhole. At least he was not the only one on board who had vomited.

"Clean that up!" Peter was bellowing in a voice far louder than was necessary given the size of the ship and the proximity of its crew, most of whom were still strapped in. "And help me get this hatch open. Something's blocking it."

 _Something_ proved to be a large collection of garbage, consisting mostly of plastic debris and rusted metal, though from the smell, there was also food waste considerably older and even more disgusting than the recent state of the floor of the ship. Mantis recoiled, though Rocket's eyes gleamed.

"I am Groot," the tree warned.

"That's right, no scavenging until we know who's in charge." Quill was poking at the translucent display. "All right, as far as I can tell, there's a big tower kind of a thing and a sort of arena."

Once again, Thor had to resist the urge to gloat. "Then we are precisely where I endeavored to land. Those structures are where the Grandmaster houses his champions and holds his games. That is where we shall look for Lo-" He caught himself just in time. "The lovely Gamora."

Nebula was already halfway out of the hatch. "You and this Grandmaster are old friends?" she called back. "Then you should go first and introduce the rest of us."

Thor cleared his throat to clarify things, but the cybernetically enhanced ex-assassin was already descending to the surface. "Not old friends, precisely," he tried to explain.

"Lovers, then," Drax said with smirking confidence. Thor thought he caught a sort of furtive significant look between Drax and Rocket before he could sputter out a denial.

"Of course we were not lovers. He is millions of years older than I am!"

"And you're thousands of years older than us, right?" Rocket sounded unimpressed. "Plus you have that weird thing about your brother."

"Adopted brother! And I am not -- I mean, I am attracted, _very_ attracted, to women." His protestations were largely ignored as the crew disembarked. "The Grandmaster and I were never --"

"Of course," Mantis echoed him, patting him on his upper arm as she started down the gangplank. She gave him that mysterious smile. "I am sure it's complicated."

"Focus, please," Peter called out. "We're here on a mission, not to take bets on Thor's weird sex life." He glared at both Drax and the rabbit, and a hundred credit chit that had been about to change from paw to hand suddenly disappeared back somewhere into Rocket's vest. 

Drawing himself up to his full height, something he always enjoyed doing next to Quill, Thor warned, "Be on your guard. The last time I was here, there was a revolution in progress."

"That's right -- wait, what?" Peter whirled on Thor. "How did you neglect to mention that? That's sort of important intel." 

Something hit the side of their ship, rattling the somewhat disdainfully wired landing lights and making them flicker. There was a cry, the smell of ozone, and Nebula peered back into the ship, wiping a knife on the side of her trousers. "Hostiles neutralized," she said in her flat tone. 

"Did you just --" Thor and Quill said at the same time, exchanging glances before starting down the gangplank. Rocket was making disgusted noises as they stepped out.

"Smells like she did," Peter said, avoiding looking to that side of the ship. 

They walked past piles of refuse, organic and otherwise. "As I have explained, though we are close to the palace, much of this planet is lawless and patrolled by gangs called Scrappers," Thor reminded them. "The most successful Scrappers sell their finds to the Grandmaster."

"And the rest...eat each other," Rocket surmised, lifting what turned out to be a bone. "I think I'm going to throw up again."

"You're awfully squeamish for a trash panda," Peter told him, then turned to Thor. "What's the deal with all the people in this city? They must do something all day besides watch whatever goes on in that arena."

Thor thought back on the market stalls and artisans he had glimpsed while trying to get Bruce Banner to safety. All that green paint for the Hulk masks must have come from somewhere. Indeed, he could see stalls selling masks and costumes now with plenty of green paint in evidence, though the new champion must have worn some sort of horned helmet because there were many hats with horns attached.

"I believe the people here do what people everywhere do," he reflected. "They dress themselves, they dance, they make art..."

The sound of Nebula's blaster and the yelp and ruckus of a fleeing Scrapper interrupted Thor's musings. They had reached the outskirts of the complex that surrounded the Grandmaster's palace. "Which way to meet your _friend_?" asked Peter.

Thor thought it best not to explain that he did not know precisely how to reach the Grandmaster's throne room because he had been brought there by some sort of psychedelic hoverchair. "We should enter by the main gate, of course," he said with more confidence than he actually felt. Indeed, when he saw the number of guards at the gate and recalled the stench of the Grandmaster's melt stick, he very nearly turned them around. But just as he opened his mouth to suggest that a different course of action might be prudent, he heard a familiar sound.

It was applause. "It's the Lord of Thunder!"


	2. Chapter 2

"God of Thunder, not Lord of Thunder," Thor muttered under his breath, but he was careful to keep a smile on his face. Though Peter looked as though he would like nothing better than to dispute Thor's worthiness to hold that title, Drax, Rocket, Mantis, even Nebula were looking at him as if impressed at this celebratory greeting. Raising his hands to his admirers, Thor nodded as though he received such accolades every day. 

"Are you here to fight again, my lord?" one of the guards asked, holding his long handled weapon in a relaxed pose. 

Thor decided at once that he didn't mind not being called _God of Thunder_ when he was being called _my lord_. "Has the Grandmaster found a champion worthy of me?" he roared, to much approval from the guards. None of the weapons they held looked poised to challenge Thor or his companions. 

"Much has changed since the Hulk left us," the chatty guard said, and there were murmurs of agreement from the entire squad. 

Thor wanted to ask about the revolution, but was afraid his crewmates were growing impatient. Nebula tended to dismember things when she got restless. Moreover, the rabbit tended to snatch things when not actively engaged in a mission, and he was eyeing the loosely-held weapons with a bit too much interest. Thor wasn't sure where the small creature would put such a large weapon, but he had seen Rocket's collection of appropriated goods and had faith that he could manage it. 

"Would you, er, like to introduce us before we enter?" Thor asked, eyeing the grand doors that stood open. He did not want to say anything that might lead to anyone slapping one of those horrible obedience discs onto him. 

Shrugs went all around the guards. "Not our job," the chatty one said, and no one stopped them or pointed a weapon in their direction as they walked through. 

"Well, that was easy," Quill said, his hand easing away from his sidearm. For a change, he did not look displeased with Thor.

But the tree warned, "I am Groot."

"You're right -- too easy," Rocket added, his own paw remaining close to his weapon strap. 

"The Grandmaster's suites were at the top of this tower." Thor spoke as though he actually knew the layout. He reasoned that the suites would have to be at the top to have a commanding view of the surrounding city. He was looking around for the lifts without trying to make it look like he was looking for the lifts when he beheld a truly terrible sight: a line of the Grandmaster's enchanted hoverchairs, watched over by several guards who might easily have served as gladiators had the Grandmaster wished.

"Going somewhere?" one of them asked menacingly.

Drawing himself up to his full height, and noting that Quill had instantly done the same, Thor announced, "It is I, the Lord of Thunder. As you can see, I have brought new contenders for the Contest of Champions. These are the Guardians of the Galaxy."

One of these far less friendly guards looked over the group and made an unimpressed snorting sound. "We'll need to put them in the chairs."

"No! No, that is not necessary. They are all obedient to me." Turning slightly, Thor indicated with his hand that they should bow to him. 

Not one of the Guardians of the Galaxy moved. 

"They are entirely devoted to my service," he added more loudly, turning to face his friends, making what he hoped they would all understand was an obey-or-we're-all-going-to-die throat-slitting gesture. 

With an expression of deep disgust, Quill spread his arms to either side and bowed deeply and flamboyantly, every line of his body suggesting how much he wanted to lunge forward and wring Thor's neck. His shipmates followed with varying degrees of success, since Groot could not bend easily and Nebula barely inclined her head.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught. "The only way up to the throne room is the chairs," the guard insisted. "New rules. No one enters the throne room who isn't in a chair."

"Fine, but the restraints are not necessary," Thor said with a confidence he did not feel, giving his companions a bright smile. "Do not worry, my friends. This is how all honored guests were introduced to the Grandmaster when I was last on Sakaar." Rocket was voicing objections, but he didn't pull his weapon, and Nebula looked as though she might blast the entire security force plus Thor along with them, but she sat when a guard gestured for her to do so. It was all going at least somewhat according to plan.

Then Thor yelped, for two of the guards were dragging him toward a chair as well. "Stop!" he shouted. "Surely, as a champion, I do not need..."

"No one enters the throne room who isn't in a chair," repeated the head of the guards as Thor was pressed into the seat. Lightning crackled in his fingertips, but no one had put an obedience disc on him. Yet.

Then everything went black, the hoverchair moved as if it were on an amusement park fun-house track, and a strangely familiar voice began to speak, accompanied by music that Thor had discovered on Earth came from a magical chocolate factory:

"Fear not, for you are found. You are home, and there is no going back. No one leaves this place. But what is this place? The answer is Sakaar. Surrounded by cosmic gateways, Sakaar lives on the edge of the known and unknown. It is the collection point for all lost and unloved things, like you. But here on Sakaar, you are significant. You are valuable. Here, you are loved."

This was very much as Thor remembered from his first unwilling trip to Sakaar, though it seemed to him that the hallucinatory images had changed a bit. In fact, he thought he saw the Valknut symbol, and even Mjolnir. Or maybe he was just seeing things.

"And no one loves you more than the God-Emperor," the voice continued. "He is the exemplar. The best lost, and the best found. The conqueror of Sakaar and master of the Tesseract. Where once you were nothing, now you are something. You are the property of the God-Emperor."

The silhouetted image that had risen up did not look like the ruler of Sakaar whom Thor remembered. He was quite certain that, in his previous hoverchair-induced vision, the being previously known as the Grandmaster had not had horns, nor had he been holding a glowing blue cube. Perhaps the hoverchair itself now had some sort of reality-warping effect tailored to its occupant. It would be interesting to learn what Quill and Drax and Mantis were seeing.

"Congratulations! You will meet the God-Emperor in five seconds. Prepare yourself. You are now meeting the God-Emperor!"

As had happened on his previous trip to Sakaar, a distortion like a wormhole appeared in front of Thor. He gritted his teeth to be sure that he would not scream, since he certainly had not done so the last time. The hoverchair went still and the throne room coalesced around him.

"What the hell, dude!" Peter was shouting.

"I think Rocket is going to be sick again," warned Mantis.

"I am Groot," growled the tree.

The Grandmaster was standing in front of Thor. The ancient ruler's eyes went wide as he recognized the Lord of Thunder, and for a moment Thor felt his stomach clench in anticipation of battling the melt stick.

Then the Grandmaster stepped back, bowing his head deferentially. "My lord, your 'brother' has returned." He made only very small air quotes with his fingers.

A tall, graceful figure rose up behind the Grandmaster. Indeed, he wore horns on his head, and a sweeping cloak with his tight green clothing. "Well. This is a surprise," he spoke in his familiar voice.

"Loki!" shouted Thor. It was certainly not a scream, but a cry of recognition that would have been reasonable from any man.

"I knew you were looking for this dude, I knew it!" Peter groused, pulling uselessly at the wrist restraints. Loki cast a disdainful glance in his direction, then stepped toward Thor, his eyebrows arching gracefully as if asking a question.

"Brother," Thor said with feigned calm. Truly his knees felt weak as he looked at the sight of Loki in full regalia, regarding him with a familiar intensity as he stepped down from the elevated platform. "I have been searching for you..."

Barely glancing at the other chairs, Loki went on, "You've brought friends." His lips quivered a bit, as through refraining from making some comment, though he did say, "A bit of a step down from your last group of friends." He appeared to be puzzling over something before adding, "Why is it you always travel in packs with this sort?" 

"We are not a _sort_. We are the Guardians of the Galaxy," Peter announced, flexing his arms in a very Thor-like manner. 

The Grandmaster -- apparently the ex-Grandmaster, though Thor had never learned his given name -- was following their exchange with vivid interest. "You know these contenders?" he asked Loki, obviously on very friendly terms with the God-Emperor. Thor felt bitter resentment, but he reminded himself that this was not the same Loki with whom he had saved the people of Asgard. This was the Loki who had tried to conquer Earth, then fled with the Tesseract. 

This wasn't the Loki he had promised to hug.

Threading through the hoverchairs, Loki looked over the group of assembled heroes as though inspecting a diseased collection of bilge snipe. "I don't believe any of these Guardians could survive even a skirmish in the Contest." Stopping by Drax's chair, he added thoughtfully, "Though this one has promise." Two guards immediately stepped forward to stand beside Drax, who looked unimpressed. 

There was a snap to Thor's left, and suddenly Rocket was out of his chair, brandishing a weapon. Thor had no idea where it could have been hidden, since they had left their weapons below. "Let my friends go," Rocket said, hefting the small blaster onto one shoulder. 

Guards with more bravado than sense surrounded their group until Loki almost casually gestured them away. The gun was suddenly a serpent, its head weaving in the air. To Rocket's credit, he held on even though the serpent reared as if to strike. Stepping closer, Loki beckoned to the snake, and it slithered onto his arm, leaving Rocket's paws clutching at nothing. 

All of the chair restraints fell away. "I never intended to keep your companions as prisoners," Loki told Thor as the serpent dissolved away into nothing. "Surely we are all friends here." He gave Thor a smile that might have been meant to be secretive or menacing, it was hard to say.

"Good, because we aren't here to fight." With a glare at Rocket, Quill stepped forward, attempting to draw himself up to Loki's height the way he always attempted to draw himself up to Thor's, though Quill was not even as tall as the ex-Grandmaster, who looked him over appraisingly. "I'm here to look for my girlfriend. Gamora. Red hair, green skin, about this tall -- " He held up a hand to indicate her height. "Could kick all your asses in single combat. She got knocked out of our timeline, and we thought she might have ended up here."

"Knocked out of your timeline?" Loki asked sharply. 

"Brother, I explained to him what we learned the last time you and I were here." Thor could see the surprise in Loki's eyes, though surely Loki had learned from the Grandmaster that Thor had followed him when the Loki from the other timeline -- the Loki murdered in cold blood by Thanos -- had first landed on Sakaar. Clearing his throat, Thor went on, "I explained that time works differently in this realm. That the Grandmaster should be millions of years old, but instead he is this, uh, gentleman in his prime."

"You flatter me. Isn't he a sweet Lord of Thunder?" The ex-Grandmaster patted his hair and preened a bit, earning a glare from Loki. "But really, it's not necessary. As you can see, I am no longer the Grandmaster of Sakaar. I go by my proper name now: En Dwi Gast, Elder of the Universe."

Though Thor had realized that his own Loki had become powerful when he learned that Loki had exiled Odin to Earth, he would not have dreamed that Loki's powers could rival those of an Elder. "Did you conquer this world?" he asked his brother, trying not to sound impressed.

Loki exchanged a glance with the ex-Grandmaster before answering. "When I arrived, that is, _returned_ to Sakaar, there was an upheaval of sorts in progress. En Dwi Gast was kind enough to explain that when you kidnapped me along with his favorite champion and his best Scrapper, you armed the prisoners and very nearly started a revolution."

So Loki was pretending to be the Loki from Thor's own timeline. "How precisely did you become the God-Emperor?" demanded Thor, aware that the heads of the Guardians of the Galaxy were swiveling from his face to Loki's and back again like spectators at a sporting match.

"Even I can't overpower an Infinity Stone," En Dwi Gast replied before Loki could answer, wagging his finger as if scolding a naughty child. "He didn't tell me he had the Tesseract with him."

Thor might have found a way to explain this, but of course Quill couldn't pass up the opportunity to brag. "Well, I can handle an Infinity Stone. The Power Stone, if you must know."

"He's lying, of course," Loki smirked.

"No he isn't. His father was a Celestial. He used the Power Stone to defeat Ronan the Accuser." That was Nebula. Thor was impressed; he didn't recall the last time Nebula had stuck up for Quill. Nor was he certain whether Nebula had witnessed Ronan's defeat, though he supposed Quill must have bragged, er, told her about it. 

In any case, Loki appeared to believe her, studying Quill with a new interest. Quill, enjoying the spotlight, held out one hand as if the stone were glowing in it at this very moment. Everyone's eyes went to the empty hand, though it was a moment before everyone realized he was doing it for dramatic effect. 

"You don't have the Power Stone now, do you?" En Dwi Gast asked with a covert look in Loki's direction.

"Of course I don't!" Quill exclaimed. "If I did, do you think I would have let you put me in one of those cockamamie chairs?" They all looked behind them, but there were only guards: the chairs had disappeared as silently as the snake. "Now, can we cut through this family reunion crap and find out about Gamora?"

"I am interested in the family reunion," Drax said, eyes alight as he followed the exchange. Mantis nodded her agreement, though Nebula looked like she wanted to try her luck against the entire squadron of guards. Drax considered, then nodded to Quill. "Though I too want to find Gamora. Perhaps you should have a combat to determine what to do next."

Both Loki and the ex-Grandmaster looked excited at this prospect. But, shaking his head, Quill said, "No. We're not having a combat. We're just here for Gamora, not getting in the middle of crazy gods and their feuds."

There was a moment of silence as Loki moved closer to Quill. Thor could tell Quill was resisting the urge to move back, but there was no place to go; the guards were directly behind them. "Brother, did your friend call me crazy?"

"He's not exactly my friend," Quill blustered, looking directly at Loki. Whatever he saw in Loki's eyes made him go a little pale. 

"He's my friend," Mantis said, and Drax was nodding. Even Groot was muttering at the denial. 

"Ix-nay on the end-fray stuff," Rocket murmured, edging closer to Groot. 

"Here I was," Loki said, stepping back up on his raised platform, "treating your companions like honored guests, but they are not even your friends."

"Most of them are my friends," Thor said quickly, shooting a glare at Rocket. "This sweet rabbit, for example, took me to Nidavellir after our sister broke my hammer..."

"Our _sister_?" repeated Loki incredulously, gesturing to En Dwi Gast as if the ridiculousness of this statement confirmed Loki's opinion of the mental feebleness of Thor and his companio- er, friends. " _Broke_ Mjolnir? Brother, you have evidently gone mad."

"She shattered it in one hand." Thor spoke quickly before Loki could interrupt again, hefting Stormbreaker to demonstrate that he still had power at his side. "Father misled me about my origins, too. He never told me that I had an older sister with a claim to the throne of Asgard. When Odin died, Hela returned from..."

Loki's hands flew up in the universal gesture meaning _stop_! "Odin is dead?" He looked around at the faces of the rest of the Guardians to see whether anyone appeared to be prepared to contradict this. "Did you kill him?"

"Of course not! I didn't even kill Hela. Do you remember the tale of Odin's defeat of Surtur? Apparently that was only part of the story. Surtur survived, and when Hela tried to kill everyone on Asgard, Surtur grew as big as a mountain and plunged his sword deep into the planet..."

Once again Loki had raised his hands. "What of Mother?" he asked, his voice deadly quiet.

Thor could only guess at the rage and grief that might overtake Loki when he learned that Frigga, too, was dead. Could he lie, or stall before answering? While he stammered, Mantis stepped forward. "Thor grieves terribly for her."

Indeed, Loki looked terrible as well. The ex-Grandmaster patted him on the back in what Thor assumed as meant to be a soothing gesture. "There, there." Loki ignored him.

"Did our 'sister' kill her too?"

"No, no, I'm afraid you missed quite a bit. She was murdered by Dark Elves."

En Dwi Gast's eyebrows shot up. "They've escaped from Svartalfheim?"

"Malekith tried to use the Aether -- the Reality Stone -- to plunge the Nine Realms into darkness. I stopped him. Hela died later, when Surtur, as I was trying to explain, ah..." Thor tried to speak soothingly as well, but there was no guessing how Loki would respond when he learned the whole truth. "When Surtur destroyed -- well -- when he plunged his sword deep into Asgard, um..." 

"And blew up the planet," added Drax helpfully.

Lightning crackled in Thor's fingers as he prepared to defend himself and his friends from Loki's wrath. But Loki's expression suddenly cleared. "Asgard is gone? Well. That explains why, when I attempted to use the Tesseract to get there, I ended up here instead."

"So if we're finished with the history lesson," Quill interjected, "maybe we could get back on track and find Gamora, you know, the reason we came here." Quill seemed to think that standing nearly shoulder to shoulder with Thor cast him in a favorable light as he moved closer still to Loki. "Green skin, a really nice shade, about the color of your, uh, vest thing there. Like I said, she's about this tall -- "

"Very slender," Mantis put in, drawing a feminine shape in the air with her hands.

"But with fine womanly muscles," Drax added, and they nodded in agreement. 

"And red hair, the color of a flaming sunset," elaborated Quill, his voice going a bit dreamy as he said it. 

"I am Groot," said the tree, and Quill nodded.

"Right -- she'd have weapons, probably a lot of them." 

Loki and En Dwi Gast exchanged a look before Loki spoke. "Haven't seen her."

"No one here like that," En Dwi Gast added, shrugging. "Though she sounds lovely." He gave the appearance of being deep in thought before he snapped his fingers and said, "Maybe she landed out in the stacks and was eaten." Looking pleased with himself for reaching this conclusion, he explained, "It happens quite a lot. In fact, I was almost eaten myself during the recent, uh, unpleasantness with the prisoners with jobs." 

The ex-Grandmaster gave a little shudder. Rocket had edged closer to Thor's side, and his tail nudged one side of Thor's leg. "Hiding something," he said, his voice little more than a growl, meant for Thor alone. "Both of them." 

Frowning, Quill waited for a break in En Dwi Gast's recitation before he put in, "Gamora would not allow herself to be eaten. She would be the eater, not the eaten." He punctuated his point with several mid-air jabs of his finger. 

"She sounds like she would make a fine contender," Loki said, and though he wasn't actually smirking, Thor knew him well enough to hear a suggestion of amusement in his voice. He could also tell that Quill was thinking about punching Loki for this comment, and made what he hoped was a calming gesture with his hand on Quill's back. That made En Dwi Gast smirk instead, while Loki abruptly narrowed his eyes and tightened his lips the way he did before launching into an attack. "I thought you said she was your lover."

"She is my lover!" Peter boasted, puffing out his chest a bit and making Thor drop his hand. 

This seemed to satisfy Loki. "I suppose it would do no harm to help you look for her." He signaled what appeared to be the head of security, pulled her aside and whispered something to her, after which she signaled to several guards to follow her and disappeared down a corridor. "In the meantime, since you are my guests, allow me to offer you some refreshment." He gestured to En Dwi Gast. "Elder, wouldn't you like to perform for them?"

Thor vaguely remembered that the Grandmaster had played some sort of musical instrument, but he had not been impressed, nor in the mood to listen to music while he was a prisoner, so he had paid little attention. Nevertheless, at the thought of refreshment, his stomach rumbled. "Thank you, brother," he said, moving with the others as they started to follow En Dwi Gast toward the colorful blinking lights at the end of the corridor.

"Not you, brother," said Loki, catching his arm. "It seems I missed a great deal on Asgard. I would like you to fill me in."

Peter shot him a look of warning, but Thor smiled and nodded to show him that it was all right. Privately, he asked Loki, "He isn't going to put them back in those chairs and send them into the arena, is he?"

"Not without my order to do so," Loki replied smugly, waving them away. "He'll just bore them with his music and stories of how he created the Contest of Champions while they eat what passes for food on this miserable planet." Abruptly his demeanor changed, and he snapped his fingers, ordering the remaining guard to bring food and wine, gesturing for Thor to sit where En Dwi Gast had been a minute earlier. "Now tell me what is really going on. I tried to go to Asgard and found myself here. By pure chance, I rescued that diva of a Grandmaster from a group of insane people with a vast array of weapons, and he seems to think he knows me -- and you, but that's a different question -- did you actually bring Banner here? -- never mind, you can explain later. When were we here, and did I truly forge a friendship with..." Loki gestured where En Dwi Gast had disappeared down the hallway. "...that man?"


	3. Chapter 3

For many reasons, Thor was grateful to be interrupted by the arrival of the food. He was famished. "Let me have some of this and I will tell you," he promised, looking eagerly at what appeared to be goose or duck or some other sort of poultry.

He watched Loki's eyes scan him, taking in his still-larger-than-usual belly. "You'd better tell me what happened to you, too," Loki said. Turning to the servants, he barked, "No interruptions!" and the entire group beat a hasty retreat.

Rubbing a rueful hand over his belly, Thor said, "More time has passed for me than for you," he began. 

Loki waved his hand impatiently. "I ascertained that." He looked at his slightly outstretched hand, then rubbed his fingers together. "I have control back." The fingers clenched briefly into a fist. "I am no longer -- " He pressed his lips together, giving Thor a sidelong almost questioning look. 

"In thrall to the Mad Titan," Thor said, and Loki nodded as if relieved not to have to admit it. "He is dead. Twice." His satisfaction was tempered by the cascade of disasters that had followed. "Once by my hand."

Looking even more pleased, Loki said, "You knew I was being influenced -- "

"I figured it out. Eventually." Thor hoped he could be understood around a mouthful of whatever sort of wing he was eating. "Though not as quickly as I would have liked." 

"You always were a bit thick," Loki said, and just like that, his brother was back -- not the man who had been insane with the lust of conquest, but the brother who had fought and battled, even slept by his side. Thor found himself smiling, a true smile that felt almost unnatural on his face now. Loki, as always, looked more intrigued, but smiled his smirky smile and did not flinch when Thor clapped him on the shoulder. 

"More than a bit, and nearly always about you," he admitted. Then his smile wavered. "I also saw you die -- the brother I had reconciled with, one of the heroes of the Last Battle of Asgard."

"It must have been a trick. I'm good at those. I just can't remember it," Loki muttered. "If Heimdall were here, if he saw..."

But Thor was shaking his head, reaching for the glass of wine that had accompanied their meal and taking a bracing swallow. "No resurrections this time, Thanos said. Your former master murdered half our people, including Heimdall. Then he snapped your neck, and I could do nothing to prevent it." Shuddering, he stared into the wineglass and set it down, willing himself not to get lost in the bottom of it as he had so many times before. "In a way, by forcing the Avengers to come together, you saved us all. To defeat Thanos, we had to go back in time to find the Infinity Stones, and eventually we succeeded. But there were ripples in time, unforeseen and uncontrollable. You escaped with the Tesseract, and I came looking for you." He tried to smile, noticing Loki too had touched none of the food. 

Sitting back in his chair, Loki said, "You always find me." His smile was enigmatic. "So am I a hero or a villain now?''

The question took Thor off guard. So used to thinking of the object of his quest as the man who had helped save their people, he tried to remember the Loki of old, who might have buried his heroic nature too deeply to retrieve it. "Half of all life disappeared when Thanos used the Stones," he said. "Not just from Earth, but from everywhere."

"Vanished and returned, En Dwi Gast tells me. But on a different time scale than you experienced, it would seem."

"If you'd been alive -- the other you -- you might have vanished, too. Gone, for years." He wiggled his fingers to one side as if brushing away dust while Loki cocked his head. "And no one had any hope of bringing the vanished back until Banner and the sweet rabbit you've just met came to tell me that Stark and an Insect Man had found a way. Until then..." Thor stroked one hand through his beard. "I buried myself in food and drink and what pleasure I could find."

"Women," guessed Loki, smiling mirthlessly as he swirled the wine in his still full glass. 

"Cable television and video games." He mimed using a controller, aware that Loki was watching him, as he always did. "Then I had a chance to undo the wrong that I had helped cause. Even though I knew it wouldn't bring you back." His voice sunk to a whisper. "But it did bring you back. This you. All I cared about was finding you."

Loki had leaned closer, perhaps only to hear what Thor had to say because he was speaking so quietly, but his face was now inches away from Thor's. Not for the first time -- truth be told, not for the first time in that hour -- he wondered what Loki would do if he kissed him. He had very nearly worked up the courage to find out when a commotion made Loki sit back in irritation, just as two guards marched back into the room. "Yes, what is it? I specifically said no interruptions." His expression indicated that he might be considering using the Grandmaster's melt stick.

"I'm very sorry, sir, but one of the _guests_ has had to be apprehended. Took a swing at the Elder."

"He didn't try to lay hands on Nebula against her wishes, did he?" Thor asked. The last time a man had touched Nebula, sliding his hand across her back as they searched for Gamora in a smuggler's bar, that man had run away screaming without his arm.

"Not the blue girl. The rodent. He claims the Elder, as he put it, tried to look at his junk, but we did not find any rubbish on him."

Thor could see that Loki understood the colloquial expression as well as he did. "That does sound like En Dwi Gast," Loki said thoughtfully. "He's never met a curiosity he didn't want to fuck. Including me, and, apparently, you."

Thor could not prevent his nose from wrinkling. He had his suspicions about how the other Loki had ingratiated himself with the Grandmaster on his previous visit to Sakaar, particularly since the Grandmaster had not seemed to believe that Thor and Loki were brothers. "You will tell them to release the rabbit?" he asked.

"The rodent also tried to steal weapons," added the other guard. That did sound like Rocket, though Thor did not say so.

With a shake of his head, Loki rose. "I suppose I shall have to sort this out myself." He glared at Thor, who had grabbed one more leg of whatever sort of bird they had been eating. "Are you coming? You haven't told me if you have a plan to bring Asgard back, or our parents."

So pleasing was it to hear Loki call Odin and Frigga his parents that Thor got up without protesting that he hadn't had a chance to try the fried flower-things, which smelled delicious. The other Loki might have called himself Odinson at the end, but the other Loki had heard the Allfather acknowledge him as his son and tell him how proud Frigga would have been. If this Loki here truly considered himself a child of Odin, it would be easy enough for Thor to sort out whatever trouble the Guardians were causing and persuade him to come to New Asgard.

Following his brother into the lounge area, Thor noted the air of tension. Quill looked angry, though, to Thor, Quill was nearly always angry, so it was hard to distinguish this particular sort of anger. To be fair, the captain of their little band did always look out for his crew, and with this crew, that could be a full-time occupation. 

"Tell the perv I'm not interested," Rocket was saying, his paws tugging at some sort of restraint that Thor thought he could probably get out of with something he had secreted in one body cavity or another if no one was paying attention. 

"I am Groot," the tree said, looking, for his nearly immobile face, quite enraged. Thor strode over to stand beside him, hoping his brother had the situation in hand. 

"I talked to you about this," Loki said, clearly exasperated.

En Dwi Gast just seemed confused. "I didn't melt him," he protested, his gaze cutting between Loki and the guards holding Rocket.

"I did not know that was an option," Drax muttered, and Thor was horrified to see the information sinking into that unpredictable brain. 

"That was very...restrained of you," Loki said, "though we do not treat our guests as chattel." En Dwi Gast hung his head, though Thor noticed that he was still looking at the rabbit, who stood between two guards looking very eager to get his weapons back. Loki's gaze took them all in again. "You are my guests, and the hospitality of Sakaar is legendary." He gave a little bow of his head and waved a hand, making Rocket's restraints melt away into nothingness, though no one looked any more relaxed at this pronunciation. 

Which was just as well, because it was followed by an enormous crash, followed by the sound of weapons fire. Within an instant, Rocket had indeed pulled some sort of blade from who knows where, while Nebula and Drax raised their hands in defensive poses and Quill also had produced a weapon, also probably from a place Thor didn't want to think about.

"Liar!" A group of armed scrappers was advancing down the corridor. Oddly, Loki's guards had not drawn their weapons, though their attention was now focused not on the Guardians but on the newcomers. "Your 'hospitality' means imprisoning anyone who arrives on this world!"

The leader of the attackers was a woman. She looked fierce, though surprisingly small, and Thor was thinking that she also looked familiar when Quill and Nebula called out simultaneously, the one sounding joyful, the other shocked:

"Gamora!"


	4. Chapter 4

The green-skinned beauty did not slow her stride, nor her accusations. "The people of this world did not overthrow one tyrant only to find themselves under the yoke of another," Gamora announced. "The games are over, Loki -- the Contest of Champions and your pathetic attempts to..." Abruptly she skidded to a halt, holding up a hand to prevent the rest of her group from marching right past her. "Nebula? What are you doing here?"

It was Quill who answered, stepping forward with his arms outstretched. "Gamora! We've looked everywhere for you!" Perhaps because of all the people watching, or perhaps because Gamora looked as though she might hurl the weapon she carried at Quill instead of Loki if he tried to give her the hug he obviously intended, he quickly lowered both his arms and his voice. "I'm here to rescue you."

"Is he trying to mimic your voice?" Loki whispered to Thor. In this case, Thor was fairly certain that Quill was instead trying to mimic in a character from a space battle that Quill and the other Peter, the Spider-Boy, had tried to act out when they discovered Thor was unfamiliar with those star wars, but in any case, Quill did not have the gravitas to sound convincing.

"As you can see, I don't need rescuing," announced Gamora, more irritated than impressed. She hefted her weapon at Loki. "No one here will be a slave again."

For a moment Thor was not certain who to defend, but then Loki made the familiar gesture of turning up his hands and laughing as if he couldn't believe everyone didn't understand what a fine joke he had made. "I have enslaved no one. I have only given this world the leadership it so desperately needed when I arrived."

Gamora whirled, sidestepping Quill's outstretched arms to take several steps closer to Loki. "What makes you qualified to rule here?"

Still smiling, Loki said, "I was born a prince, the rightful King of Jotunheim -- " He held up one hand to forestall her already-forming objections. "And I ruled Asgard while my father, the king, restored himself in the Odinsleep." 

Gamora did not look impressed. "The last time anyone checked, Asgard was destroyed. And the new Asgard has a new ruler, who is not you, Prince." 

Thor was not sure how Gamora had come by this knowledge, but it made Loki smile, glancing at Thor and mouthing, "Who did you find to pull that off?" very softly. 

Before Thor could launch into that long story, Gamora pronounced with an air of finality, "But what's more important, you were not elected to lead Sakaar." 

The former Grandmaster, who had been following this exchange while giving openly appraising looks at Gamora, spoke up. "The people here aren't used to electing anyone. And they like the Contests." That last bit was added a bit defensively, it seemed to Thor. 

"I'm thinking about changing them anyway," Loki replied, giving an airy wave. "Don't you think the people -- my subjects -- would like to have a chance to engage in combat with their former ruler?" There was a gasp as that former ruler pieced this plan together. "Not to the death, of course," Loki added graciously. 

"That is not for you to decide," declared Gamora. 

"Exactly," agreed Quill, stepping to her side.

"No one here is your subject," added Nebula, also moving closer to Gamora.

"Don't make me use the Tesseract," warned Loki.

"Or the Melt Stick," put in En Dwi Gast, though he looked as though he might be as likely to use it on Loki as on the newcomers.

"Now, now, friends, no one will be melting anyone..." Thor began.

"We aren't friends," snapped Gamora, looking from Loki, who had a hand outstretched as though he might actually summon the Tesseract, to the Grandmaster, whose fingers twitched like they wanted to hold the Melt Stick.

There was a sudden movement, which Thor would later attribute to Nebula, and suddenly weapons fire ricocheted everywhere. Mantis placed her hands on the heads of two guards, putting them to sleep. Groot lifted Drax, who in turn grabbed a guard's neck in each hand. Quill was using one arm to hold his blaster and the other to try to protect Gamora, who appeared ready to blast Quill's arm off to get to Loki, who meanwhile had turned into a snake and wrapped around the ex-Grandmaster to keep him from his Melt Stick.

There was really no help for it. Hefting Stormbreaker, Thor summoned a bolt of lightning that blasted everyone apart from everyone else. If it scorched the decor, now featuring more green and gold but still a hideous mess, that could not be helped either. 

Confused-looking guards rubbed their faces and throats. Groot helped Rocket and Drax stand. Gamora shoved Quill off of her. "Nice work, Sparkles," declared En Dwi Gast, miming applause.

Loki, once more himself, straightened his tunic and tossed his hair and cape with a flourish. He looked rather flushed. "You can do that without Mjolnir?"

"You saw him do that in the arena," En Dwi Gast pointed out, looking at Loki with suspicion. "Sometimes I think you've had your memory tampered with."

"And who would have tried to do that?" demanded Loki, striding furiously toward the Elder.

"Thanos," said Nebula entirely reasonably. Everyone turned to look at her. Shrugging a bit, she added, "He did have the Mind Stone."

Thor decided not to argue with this point by recounting the history of how this Loki had come to be. It was not inaccurate to blame Thanos. "As I told you, a great deal has happened beyond the Nine Realms. I had to learn to use my powers without the hammer," he explained quickly. "And I acquired Stormbreaker, which can summon the Bifrost, though I'm not certain whether it would get me past the portals surrounding this world any more than you could escape with an Infinity Stone."

"What happened to the rest of the Stones?" asked Loki, looking just a bit too curious. In the old days, Thor would have been on guard for a dagger to appear, but he sensed that Loki was troubled by all the changes around him when he, to his own memory, had not witnessed any of them. 

Thor's concern must have shown in his face, because Loki promptly shrugged a bit as if it would never occur to him to seize such power for himself. "The Tesseract is safely hidden, though it does not have the power that it once did." He shot a glare at En Dwi Gast. "But I realized very quickly that if the Grandmaster got his hands on it, there was no telling what he might do. And I hadn't quite decided where to go next. Where are the Asgardians now?"

"As I told you, they have a new ruler," Gamora said, her weapon still raised as she glanced from Loki to Thor to En Dwi Gast, her stance suggesting that she believed she could take on all three singlehandedly and win.

Since Loki was still a wanted criminal on Earth, Thor thought it best to sidestep the question of where the Asgardians had settled. "The last time you and I were on Sakaar, I discovered that the Grandmaster's favorite Scrapper was a Valkyrie. She ended up on Sakaar after the battle that killed the others."

"She brought the Lord of Thunder to me in shackles," reported En Dwi Gast, winking at Thor as if they shared a secret.

"Out of desperation, she worked for this lunatic," Thor added in a raised voice. "It took very little effort to persuade her to return with me to Asgard, where she fought by my side to save our people from Hela."

Rather than appearing grateful, Loki looked like he'd have wrung Valkyrie's neck had she been there. "So you fathered a child with her," he spat.

"What? No!" spluttered Thor, as Rocket, Quill, Drax, and even Mantis burst into laughter.

"Then who is this new ruler of the Asgardians?"

"Valkyrie herself is the new ruler! I realized that she would make a far better one than me. I had not been a very attentive leader for quite some time, and the people were accustomed to having her in charge." 

"He was a drunken loser," added Rocket.

Thor saw Loki glance at his belly, which was still not in the fine fighting shape of his previous several hundred years, and sighed. "I hid myself in drink. When we were gathering the Infinity Stones to fight Thanos, I went to Asgard -- the Asgard of the past -- because the Reality Stone had been taken there. I saw Mother in that time. She helped me to understand that the man I was born to be was not necessarily the King of Asgard."

"Then you avenged her death?" Loki demanded, his voice quiet yet deadly.

"Every Dark Elf who invaded Earth and Asgard is dead." Thor swallowed. "Mother would not want us to dwell upon revenge. She would want us to think about the future." Their gazes held for a long beat, the still-unanswered questions shifting and rearranging themselves. Some answers would have to wait, some would have to be ignored but for now there was this moment. 

"And the future holds -- ?" Loki prompted. 

Shrugging, Thor looked around at the newly singed decor of the ruler's suite. "It seems you have yours right here."

Loki did not look away. "You think this place worthy of me?" he said, with obvious skepticism, lifting both hands as if holding the planet itself. "You give away the throne of your birthright, yet would consign me to this place of garbage and ignorant louts?" 

"I'll take it if he doesn't want it," offered Rocket.

"I am Groot," added the tree.

"None of you were elected," Gamora reminded them, hefting her weapon. Nebula did the same. Though Thor doubted she cared in the least who wound up in charge on Sakaar, she rarely missed the opportunity for a good skirmish.

Loki had started to whirl away. Without thinking, Thor made a grab for him, almost expecting an illusion, but getting a handful of solid shoulder. "I just meant that you've landed on your feet. You always do." 

Loki did not pull out of Thor's grasp. Instead he turned just enough to look at Thor's hand where it had landed. For a moment Thor thought he saw some emotion he had not seen in his brother in a long time flash through Loki's face before it was replaced by the familiar mockery. "I have always had to."

Thor squeezed his fingers lightly before dropping his hand. "What is it you want then? What would appease your desire -- " There it was again, that flare of something passing over Loki's expressive face " -- to rule?" 

"My brother," Loki said, though one corner of his mouth lifted with its customary contempt. "Did you not come with some offer?"

"My only goal was to find you." Thor's smile was sheepish. "I did not think beyond that."

That brought a true smile to Loki's face. "You rarely do. It's good to see that some things never change. I was beginning to think the galaxy had been altered beyond all recognition." This time Loki brought his hand down on Thor's shoulder. Since they were nearly the same height, it felt more like an embrace, so much like the one they had shared after Asgard fell that Thor felt a rush of familiarity. It was then he realized how very close they were. "Will you be honest with me, brother, about one thing?" Loki asked him.

"Of course. I have been honest with you about everything since I arrived here." There were, Thor knew, several fibs of omission and at least a couple of minor distortions of the truth to which he had been privy, but it wasn't as though he had lied to Loki...

"Was your goal to find me, or to find the Tesseract?"

Instantly the warmth between them evaporated, as, Thor could see, Loki had intended. "To find you! Only to find you. You said that the Tesseract no longer works as it should? I believe that is because, by taking it on Earth, you created a second timeline for yourself, and because there was already a Space Stone in the universe, they must have affected one another. I never want to see any of those Infinity Stones again. They have brought me nothing but unhappiness." Behind him, Nebula and Gamora both nodded as though this was the first thing Thor had said that made sense.

Thor could see Loki studying him, evaluating this statement. "You said you saw me die? The other me -- " His voice turned skeptical. "A hero of the Last Battle of Asgard?"

"Yes." Loki had demanded honesty, so Thor gulped and gave it to him. "At the hand of Thanos. He imprisoned me and made me watch as he choked you. He snapped your neck."

This information did not appear to distress his brother overmuch. "How did you survive?"

"Thanos took the Space Stone and left your ship, which he destroyed with the Power Stone," Nebula told Loki. "Everyone who had not fled was already dead. That was always my father's plan: to kill half of every planet's population."

"I remember clutching at your body. Then I remember nothing before waking on the ship with them surrounding me." Thor gestured at the Guardians.

"So laugh at us all you want, but we saved his life," Quill interjected.

"And you persuaded them to come here?" Stepping back, Loki crossed his arms, regarding Quill. "Or did this one persuade you, since he seemed so certain that that woman of his might be here?"

"I'm not his woman!" Again Gamora hefted the weapon, though she glanced at Quill, who was looking at her the way Rocket looked at treasure.

"I'm the one who suggested that Quill look for Gamora here. As the Grandmaster said, Sakaar is the collection point for lost and unloved things. You and I had both landed on this world when Hela threw us out of the Bifrost." As Thor spoke, surprise crossed Loki's face, warring with the incredulity he had expressed when Thor told him Hela had crushed his hammer. "Since you and Gamora both exist outside your previous timelines -- the ones in which you both were killed by Thanos -- I did believe it was possible that if either of you tried to go home, you would find yourselves here."

"Because we were lost," mused Gamora.

"And unloved," added Loki, smiling enigmatically.

"Brother, you have never been unloved." Speaking quickly, Thor grabbed both his arms. "Odin loved you as a son. He died claiming you as a son, as did Frigga. And I..." He had to stop to swallow. "Even when I believed your mind lost, before I knew that you were under the Mad Titan's mind control, I could not hate you. I have always loved you. Always."

Rocket made a revolted noise, but Quill was busy looking at Gamora, who was looking back at him, while Drax and the ex-Grandmaster appeared to be busy sizing each other up and Mantis actually seemed misty-eyed. Loki's eyes flared, and for just an instant Thor thought of the striking serpent Loki had transformed himself into. Still, he held onto the hope that what had redeemed his brother in that other life still existed within this Loki. 

"What is that love worth?" Loki asked, his voice soft and ragged. "It costs you nothing, and gains me nothing but your contempt." 

Thor was already shaking his head. "That is not true." He dug his fingers into Loki's arms, then remembered his own strength and loosened his grip but did not let go. "I came looking for you. I always have." He tried a hopeful smile. "I always will." 

Loki looked down at Thor's hands on his arms, first one then the other, then back to Thor. "You have found me. I am fine. You may go." 

It was so dismissive that Thor growled, dropping his hands and whirling around in frustration. "I will go if you truly wish me to." He lifted his head, looking at the far wall. "I thought our bond was stronger than this."

There was a disgusted noise behind him. "Really, brother, you are making too much of this. Or are you playacting? You were never very good at it."

Thor glanced back, unable to keep the sheepish look off his face. "I'm not, I know. You were always better at it. But I did mean it. If you truly want me to go, I will." And, to his consternation, his voice did break a little, though he was sure Loki would dismiss it as more bad playacting. He turned away again, determined to get control of his feelings, which were obviously not returned. He would gather his crew, his friends, and -- 

"Just understand that the rest of us aren't going anywhere," Gamora cut in. "Not until the people of Sakaar have been freed from your tyranny!"

Loki put a hand on his back. "But suppose I didn't want you to go," he said softly.

Would there ever be a time when Thor would not suspect that Loki was trying to trick him? "You just said you did," he pointed out. "And that my love gives you nothing you value." Again the pain could be heard in his voice, though he doubted that Loki would believe it was more than wounded ego. "If you want me to stay after all that, brother, I need to know why. I have no interest in ruling this world or any other, nor will I accept any more of your schemes..."

The hand on his back had moved up to his shoulder and tugged until Thor turned. Loki's expression was wary but his gaze held Thor's steadily. "I think you know why. I told you once that I never wanted the throne. That's still true."

Loki's fingers on his shoulder made Thor want to shiver, though Loki's hand was warm -- the hand of a son of Odin, not a child of icy Jotunheim. Perhaps Loki truly had only ever wanted to be Thor's equal, but the deceptions that had enabled Loki to live in Asgard, the deceit built into his nature by their parents, made it impossible for Loki to exist without artifice. 

"I am not like you," Thor reminded him. "If you are only trying to tear a confession out of me, then here it is: You are the only one in all the realms I love the way I love you. You have known me all my life, and we have called each other brother, but there is a connection between us that is more."


	5. Chapter 5

Thor knew that he was making a fool of himself, again, in front of the Guardians as well as the Sakaarians, but he was spared from any further humiliation when En Dwi Gast said, "Well, now that that's settled -- he doesn't want the throne -- I think it makes sense to have a period of transition so there isn't another revolution, don't you?" He flashed a charming smile at Gamora. "I'm sure that together, you and I can work out a solution..."

And suddenly the weapons were out again. "Don't think I don't know what you are!" Gamora shouted as Quill and Nebula moved to stand at her side. "Next to Loki, you're the last person I would leave in charge. If you think we're going to hand this world back to you..."

Everyone started speaking at once, in protest, in agreement, in making lovey dovey noises at the former object of their affection who was ignoring said lovey dovey noises. Yet Loki's voice was the only one Thor heard, very close to his ear. "Come walk in the gardens with me, brother."

Thor gestured to the group, all trying to shout over one another. "Are you certain no one will get melted? Well, except for the Grandmaster, though I don't think anyone would miss him." 

"Your friends are still my guests. My guards will keep anyone from any true harm." Snapping a finger at what appeared to be the head of the guards, Loki barked an order. Everyone else was too busy arguing among themselves to notice. They passed another guard on the way out to the balcony garden, where Loki gave instructions for the Guardians to be kept in the upper rooms where they could not do any further damage to the palace.

Sakaar was not a beautiful place, even from the highest heights of the tower. But up among the brightly colored trees and the curated banks of flowers, it at least seemed peaceful. "Did you mean a single word of what you said?" Loki asked, strolling with his arms behind his back. 

"I know you think I'm an idiot -- don't deny it, you have said so in my presence more than once." Thor sighed. "And perhaps you're right. I have never been able to hide what I feel..." 

Loki stopped his mouth with a fingertip against his lips. For an instant Thor expected to be dismissed once again, even as his body was registering how close Loki was standing to him, with their hips practically touching. "No lies," demanded Loki, with the faintest quaver in his voice that could have indicated anger.

"You're the God of Mischief, not me. And I could never lie to you. You always saw through me." The finger had slid away to allow him to speak, though Thor barely had to purse his lips to kiss it.

Apparently that, more than any of his clumsy words, persuaded Loki that Thor had finally said enough. "Then stop suggesting that my place may be here while yours lies elsewhere," Loki said, close enough that Thor could feel the heat of his breath.

With a groan of surprise, or need, Thor did the only thing he could think of, the only thing his brain had been focused on, truthfully, since he'd first opened his eyes on this world. He took Loki's mouth against his own, and prayed to all the ancient gods that he was not about to be transformed into a giant centipede. 

Instead of a sputtered denial and a shove backward, Loki seemed to melt against him, pulling hungrily at his lips, arms tangling in their need to be closer. "Never. Leave. Me. Again," Loki managed, the words more breath than speech before his mouth sought Thor's again. In truth, there was not much seeking to be done, Thor could not move away, nor stop kissing, not when such kisses trembled through his entire body, filling him with urges he might not have named yet had always had. This desire transcended every other he had ever known, even the desire to tame his wayward brother. 

"I couldn't bear it, not again," Thor said, one hand pushing into Loki's hair, feeling the silk of it as keenly as the kiss, blossoms of sensation along every nerve. His other hand nestled against the small of Loki's back, holding them together in this sudden heated bond. Then he felt Loki's hands and they were more explicit in their desires, wrapped around Thor's neck, clinging like twin snakes. 

"Careful of this path you tread, brother," Loki said. They were staring at each other, the color high on Loki's cheeks, and his eyes were wary again. 

"Because you have been down it many times and I have not?" Thor said, surprised at the bitterness in his voice. "Don't you think it drove me mad to know of all the men you have taken as lovers?"

Loki looked delighted. "That isn't what I meant, but it's good to know. I didn't mean other men, I meant be careful of me." The arms around his neck tightened. "I am...possessive."

"So am I," Thor growled and kissed him again, his fingers knotting in Loki's thick hair. In truth, he had never been a jealous lover. He had known that Jane Foster had had men before him, and later, when she thought him lost to her, and again around the time she had decided to dump him or rather to agree mutually to separate. He was aware that Sif had enjoyed herself lustily with most of Thor's dearest friends and many conquests; it was one of the things he appreciated about her. But things had always been different with Loki. He had always been envious and at the same time overly curious, even when he dared not admit the reason to himself.

Loki was kissing him back hungrily, his tongue alternately exploring and seeking dominance over Thor's, which Thor gladly allowed. These were greedy, demanding kisses in which he found his lip caught gently yet firmly between Loki's teeth when he came up for air. "I didn't mean only like this," added Loki with gratifying breathlessness. "I will demand your time and attention. I will expect to be treated as your equal. If you imagine that you can satisfy yourself, then set me aside..."

"I have never wished to set you aside, nor have I ever been able to imagine a satisfying life without you," Thor interrupted him. "I meant what I told you the last time we were on Sakaar. I thought we were going to fight side by side forever."

"You forget I don't remember the last time 'we' were on Sakaar. I wasn't there," countered Loki.

Of course. This Loki did not remember that Thor had then suggested Loki stay on Sakaar, suspecting that Loki was already plotting to betray Thor to the Grandmaster. "Then we need not repeat our mistakes from that time. We can break the cycle of betrayal. I don't want to keep reliving the past." Thor paused to take a breath. "We are no longer the brothers who competed for a throne. I came here to find you, to be with you. I have wanted it for so long. I will want it always."

"Always is a long time," Loki said, surprising Thor with the wistfulness of it. Thor thought he understood, and it knotted his insides, but he nodded, accepting it.

"I know you will grow bored of me. I have not your erotic skills, nor your magic to give your lovers anything they desire." His fingers spread on Loki's back, trying not to hold on too tightly. "But I will take a life with you for as long as you will have me." He vowed to himself not to be spurned too quickly, and to learn ways of pleasing Loki that would ensure years together, centuries perhaps. 

As he thought of the noble sacrifice he would eventually have to make, Loki's laughter startled him. "We have done no more than share kisses and you are already planning to step aside for whoever takes my fancy next." He gestured toward the door. "The psychopath you brought, perhaps? Or the tree? What a self-sacrificing hero you are, brother." And Loki's mouth captured his in kiss that scorched the others, expressing the raw need that Thor suspected lurked beneath his brother's cool worldy exterior. "I will never let you go," he breathed, for neither of them had breath for more than a whisper.

Loki's fingers were working on the snaps and laces that held too much clothing together between them when they were interrupted, yet again, by a sudden disturbance. It sounded like a scream. It sounded like the Grandmaster. As their heads turned simultaneously in frustration in the direction of the noise, the door opened and the rabbit stepped through. 

"Ewww, I want to claw my eyes out," said Rocket in much the same tone as he'd used when he'd spotted Thor relieving himself over a balcony during their visit to Asgard to retrieve the Reality Stone. His wrinkled nose managed to convey both _that's disgusting_ and _I knew it_ all at once. "I'm sure you don't care, but Gamora and Nebula are about to kill the Grand Pompous Ass. And if that happens, we're going to need to get off this planet quickly."

"My brother will be coming with us," Thor announced, smiling.

"Not on _my_ ship, he won't," replied Rocket.

"Excuse me, but isn't it Quill's ship?" demanded Thor, stepping back to make sure that his clothing wasn't too disheveled.

"Oh, now that you need something from him, suddenly you remember how to say his name?" 

This argument was cut off by another scream, and though it sounded quite high-pitched, Thor was quite certain the voice belonged to En Dwi Gast rather than one of the women. "We have no need of Quill's ship," Loki interjected, hand still on Thor's arm. "May I remind you that I now possess all the access codes to Sakaar's security system? There are many ships sure to be more suitable for Princes of Asgard than Quill's."

"Princes of Asgard, right. Good luck not ending up in Valkyrie's janitorial staff." Rocket snorted, waved a dismissive paw, and retreated. 

Thor was not disheartened. The thought of grabbing Loki's hand and racing through the Grandmaster's palace to take a ship, as he had done with the other Loki -- well, not the holding hands part -- was very tempting. But he sighed, "I suppose we had better make certain not to leave this world in utter lawlessness again, to fall prey to the next would-be Grandmaster who comes along."

As it happened, he had no need to worry. By the time they reached the throne room, Nebula had En Dwi Gast bound in more chains than Valkyrie had used on the other Loki when she had imprisoned him on this world in her rooms. Groot and Mantis were on either side, either preventing the Elder from escaping or protecting him from the wrath of everyone else, it was hard to tell. Gamora was making a speech to the guards, who were nodding in agreement, about protecting the innocent civilians of Sakaar. Quill was uncharacteristically silent, probably because he was too busy making lovey dovey faces at the object of his affection, who was still ignoring those lovey dovey faces. Drax had gone back to picking over what was left of the food.

"I am putting an end to your Contests," Gamora announced to Loki.

"As you wish," Loki conceded. Both Gamora and Nebula raised weapons, making him hold up his hands. "What? I just agreed!"

Gamora turned slightly so that her weapon was pointed at Thor as well. "I don't know what the two of you are planning..." she began.

"We are planning to leave this place." Thor's declaration got the attention of everyone, even Quill. "My brother has more important things to do than to serve as your God-Emperor." 

He glanced at Loki, more than half expecting to be contradicted, but Loki only shrugged and added, "None of them will ever be a god." He glared at the former Grandmaster as if expecting some argument on this point, but the Grandmaster was still looking at Thor, waiting for him to elaborate on his previous departure announcement.

This surprising acquiescence gave Thor the confidence to make a little speech of his own. "Loki and I may have been born to be kings, but we will shape our own destinies. Loki does not belong here. He is not lost or unloved -- he has always been significant and valuable to me. So he will be departing Sakaar with me."

"Does that mean I'm in charge again?" asked En Dwi Gast, struggling against his chains.

"No way," said Rocket, at the same moment that Quill was saying, "Hell, no," Nebula was replying, "Absolutely not," and Gamora was inspecting the Melt Stick, warning, "Under no circumstances, so don't say it again!"

Thor thought of Korg and Miek, still living in exile on Earth -- hardly a suitable reward for having rescued so many ex-gladiators and prisoners of the Grandmaster. Having witnessed their online games, he felt certain that they would be honored to be asked to return to take charge here. It would also get them out of the house and away from the Cheetos. 

Clearing his throat, he announced, "Two Heroes of the Revolution of Sakaar have remained on Earth, where they fought in the glorious battle against the forces of Thanos. I propose that they return, upon certain conditions of their safety being met, to bring their revolutionary ideals of justice to Sakaar."

Loki leaned in and said softly, "Brother, I hope you are not planning on bringing me back to Earth to retrieve these heroes of yours. I will not be welcomed in any quarter of that world." It was a fair point, but not one that Thor needed to discuss with the group, since Nebula and Gamora were already debating which of them should take on the task of retrieving Korg and Miek. Before knives were drawn, Rocket stepped between them.

"Why don't you both go?" he said, making them all look down at him. Seeing the distress on Quill's face at the thought of Gamora departing without him, the rabbit added, "Or better yet, leave your sister in charge and take Star-Lord here with you. We can take care of this place while you're gone." 

It might have been Thor's imagination, the nod that passed between Rocket and Drax. Mantis also looked pleased, her gaze roaming the playroom as if deciding how to redecorate. Thor decided that it was no longer his business. He leaned back, speaking equally softly to Loki. "Is there a newer ship, one that hasn't been used for, er -- "

Loki's grin was wicked. "Orgies? Wild parties? Are you looking for one designed for specific revelry?"

Shaking his head, Thor said, "Just the opposite. Any defiling of a ship will be done by me." He returned a hint of Loki's smile. "And you." 

Loki was laughing. "Of course." His hand had slipped into Thor's as if they had been doing such things all their lives. Leaving the argument winding down, they turned, looking at each other as they had when they were boys ducking out on some court function. 

"Did you mean what you said back there?" Loki asked with the kind of studied indifference in his voice that told Thor he was not indifferent to the answer at all. 

"Of course," Thor replied. "Which part?" They stepped into the elevator that would take them down to the docking bay.

"The significant and valuable part," Loki said, leaning against the side of the lift as it made its way down. "The part about not being unloved."

His brother, in whatever incarnation, was not used to being vulnerable to any sort of emotion. The skin he'd developed for these intrusions into his self-confidence was nearly impenetrable; Thor had rarely broken through. In response, Thor wrapped his arms around Loki. "You know I am a terrible liar." 

When the lift doors opened, there was no Rocket waiting to be disgusted by their passionate embrace. Or the clothes that threatened to fall to the floor. Or the rumpled state of their hair. 

"Ship," Loki said, as if with great effort to lift his mouth away from Thor's. 

"Fuck," replied Thor, his eyes nearly glazed over by passion.

"On the ship," insisted Loki, pulling Thor out of the elevator. In his haste, he had to remind himself to lift Stormbreaker. They passed several gleaming vessels, hurrying past the ones that did not meet their standards of post-orgy-related hygiene. "That one," Loki indicated when they were nearly at the end of the huge docking bay, nodding at a sleek passenger vessel that appeared never to have seen action. He slipped his hand free, giving Thor's a squeeze before reaching over to the control panel to release the docking protocols. 

Almost instinctively, Thor glanced around to see whether a second Loki had appeared, summoning the Grandmaster for some reward for Thor's capture of which the criminally seductive Lord of Thunder was unaware. But there was only this Loki, who had never been in that very lift with Thor on a previous occasion during which Thor suggested that it was time to go their separate ways, who had never needed to be slapped with an electrical device to incapacitate him while Thor made his getaway to try to save Asgard. Even before Heimdall had seen Loki coming when Hela forced Ragnarok upon them, Thor had been confident that Loki could escape and follow him to their home if Loki wished. 

Nonetheless, it had been a great relief when his brother stepped off the massive transport ship and declared himself the savior of their people. But this Loki had not been there, and was only just beginning to live with the thought that he would never see Asgard again. It was true that Loki would never be welcome on Earth -- the strange doctor might even do what he had done when Thor went in search of Odin with the other Loki, spiriting him away in a magic circle. 

The gangplank lowered, stopping nearly at Thor's feet, bringing him back to the present. "Come, brother," said Loki, extending a hand. "The galaxy awaits."


	6. Chapter 6

As Loki strode up the extended walkway to the ship, a crackle of static seemed to echo all around them. "People of Sakaar, attention please," began Gamora's voice. "As of this day, the Contest of Champions has been ended, permanently."

There was a sound that might have been a collective sigh of relief, but sounded to Thor a bit more like booing. "Well, good luck to her," he mused, wondering whether there might be another revolt before Korg and Miek arrived.

"I ordered the construction of this ship myself," Loki said, speeding his stride up the gangplank. "Using a reasonable portion of the Grandmaster's fortune."

Following, Thor took in the luxurious central accomodations for only a moment before he stepped into the sleek metal control room at the front of the ship. Unlike Loki, he had flown once into the Devil's Anus and was fully aware of the dangers it held. "I assume you designed the hull to withstand the force of a collapsing neutron star inside of an Einstein-Rosen bridge?" he inquired with more confidence than he felt, hoping he remembered what Banner had explained about the powerful portal.

Loki wrinkled his nose. "If you're asking whether I designed the hull to take on the force of Sakaar's wormholes, of course I did. How else could I have planned to escape the planet?"

It pleased Thor to know that Loki had intended to leave, not to use this ship for orgies with random Sakaarians and others stranded on this world. "Where did you intend to go?" he asked.

"Anywhere." Loki shrugged a bit. "I did think to take my rightful place on the throne of Jotunheim, but I confess that the weather is not to my taste. I suppose that eventually I'd have tried to return to Asgard, and wound up back here."

Again Thor wondered whether Loki would wish to see New Asgard. Their father had called it home, and although this was not the Loki who had been there with him, Thor thought that perhaps he would still feel the presence of their family where their people had settled. "Brother, I know you think it unwise to return to Earth..." he began.

"Unwise? I consider it madness." Loki's eyes narrowed, and he spat, "Unless you are still pursuing that woman!"

"I've told you, Valkyrie and I are only friends. I'm not even sure she respects me," Thor said. Loki did not look satisfied, so Thor added, "The same was true with Natasha. And she died months ago, retrieving the Soul Stone and enabling us to defeat Thanos." Then he realized who Loki meant. "Oh -- I have not spoken to Jane for years. In truth I have not thought about her for years." He had heard that Jane had survived to continue her research after Thanos snapped half of her people into oblivion, but not even seeing her in the past on Asgard had revived his feelings for her. 

Loki, however, had no way of knowing that. "Then why would you want to bring me to Earth?" he demanded.

"Both Odin and Heimdall told me that Asgard is not a place, it is a people. Our people," Thor began slowly. "You are still their prince. We rescued them from Ragnarok together. Wherever we may choose to go, that is where we came from. Are you not curious to see how our people continue? To stand in the last place our father stood, where he told us he loved us and called the spot home?"

Still scowling, Loki asked, "Will I have to meet this Valkyrie you left governing in your stead?"

"Not if you don't wish to." Unbidden, a smile rose to Thor's lips. "Though you might like her. She has as little belief in my intelligence as you ever did."

"You give me little reason to change my mind," growled Loki, though he did not look quite as murderous as he had a few moments earlier. "If you are expecting the spirits of our parents to give us some sort of blessing..."

Thor did not dare imagine what Odin would have said if he could see the path Thor wished for himself. "Mother always wanted us to be happy," he reminded Loki, taking Loki's face in both hands for a kiss. "The last time I saw her, she told me to be the man I felt I was meant to be, not the one I believed I was destined to be. She would want us to take care of each other. To honor our past, but not to be bound by it."

"I can think of little that would bind us to our past more than settling on Earth among the Asgardians," grumbled Loki. "You have already told me that our people are thriving in my absence. And I would have to disguise myself even among our them to be certain that they hold no grudges." Briefly he turned himself into Quail, then Gamora, then, disturbingly, the rabbit, turning into a likeness of Thor himself before settling back into his own form. 

Thor had taken a step back, giving a little shudder before his brother was back. "Your powers are as sharp as ever," he said, deciding that further conversation should be postponed until they had left Sakaar. They had been fortunate that none of the others had pursued them yet. The controls did not look complicated. He started to settle into the lead chair, bumped into Loki and they both swayed until they got their bearings. 

"Don't you think I should take the controls? After all, I commissioned this ship, to my own specifications," said Loki. Thor stepped back and gestured toward the main control seat as Loki slid into it. Once he was strapped in, Loki smiled at Thor, who was compressing his own bulk into the other chair. "You agreed so readily, you must truly trust me."

For the briefest instant, unease coursed through Thor. The smile on Loki's face was the old familiar one, the one that usually presaged mischief, usually mischief at Thor's expense. Again he remembered that this Loki had not been through the destruction and rescue of Asgard, had not fought by his side to rescue Jane, had not mourned their mother's senseless death. 

The engines roared to life and Loki leaned over the controls, his face full of concentration as the ship lifted toward the exit. Thor relaxed back in his seat, glancing at the completely normal readouts. If this was going to work between them, and Thor could easily admit he would do nearly anything to make certain it did, he would have to trust Loki, this new Loki, who would always be his closest ally and friend. And soon they would be more.

Once they were skimming over the city, Loki relaxed a bit and showed Thor the extra restraints for the jump through the Devil's Anus. "Did you design these yourself too?" Thor asked as he buckled the straining, too-small band snugly over his crotch. He didn't miss Loki's gleeful look of amusement at Thor's predicament. 

"I admit you do look -- " Loki buckled himself in, tugging on the band to show it had a bit more leeway than Thor's. "Intriguing like that."

Though he had been lamenting his failure to return to his finest fighting form before finding Loki, Thor felt his face warming pleasantly at such regard. He had suspected that Loki would possess a creative erotic imagination and he was delighted finally to be the focus of it. "You couldn't have designed this with me in mind as a passenger," he pointed out.

Shrugging, Loki said, "It seemed foolish to limit my new ship without the possibility for a companion." Wrinkling his nose, he added, "Though I doubt they would fit the Hulk. I'm surprised you managed to escape this world with him on your ship."

"He wasn't the Hulk at the time." Smiling, Thor recalled the battle he had fought with Banner and Valkyrie as they fled the Grandmaster and his pursuing minions. He had glanced back to see dozens of better-armed craft in pursuit just like...

Frowning, he turned from the readouts to the side viewscreen. There were definitely other ships.

They were definitely in pursuit.

"Loki," Thor said, at the same time Loki pointed at a side panel of controls.

"Weapons."

Sighing, Thor loosened his safety restraints and inspected the buttons. He had so hoped to have a reprieve before having to fight another battle. At least hopefully none of these buttons would trigger fireworks or orgy music. "How far are we from the Anus?" he asked.

"Almost within its gravitational field. Once we reach it, no one will dare follow in any of those pleasure craft." Loki was flipping switches and tugging levers. "This is going to be a bumpy ride." He glanced at Stormbreaker, resting at Thor's side. "What can this new weapon of yours do?"

"Many things." Thor fired what he hoped would be a warning shot and not actually hit one of the pursuing craft. "It was made by Eitri of Nidavellir. It can focus and enhance my powers. It can flatten forests and summon the Bifrost."

"Must one be worthy to use it?" asked Loki, and again Thor felt a twinge of unease before he remembered that he had committed to trusting his brother. 

"It is not under the same enchantment as the hammer. Groot was with me at Stormbreaker's forging, and could lift it. Thanos was able to wield it. So was Steve Rogers." He heard Loki grunt in surprise and decided that this was not the moment to tell him that Captain America could wield Mjolnir, too. "You know what is prophesied when those without the strength try to use the weapons of Nidavellir. Their bodies would crumble as their minds collapse into madness. None of my new shipmates were foolish enough to try."

Something beeped on the panel in front of Loki. "We're coming up on the portal," he announced. "Since this ship is untested, perhaps you should hold on to that axe."

Another of Thor's shots sent a pursuing drone spinning out of control, carooming into its twin, which both exploded in a satisfying fireball. He wrapped his hand around Stormbreaker, reassured as much by its perfect fit in his hand as he was by Loki's precautions. Several of the speeding ships behind them swerved to avoid the fireball. 

"Loki! Where is the Space Stone?" demanded a disembodied voice. Nebula's, unless Thor was mistaken. In all the excitement of their departure, Thor had forgotten all about the Tesseract.

The sidelong glance with which Loki met Thor's gaze was all too familiar. "It's safe," Loki announced, though whether for Thor's benefit or those of their pursuers, Thor wasn't certain.

There was what sounded like a lower-voiced quarrel, then the ex-Grandmaster's voice boomed out. "People of Sakaar! The planetary treasury has been robbed! Take to the skies!" 

While Thor aimed the weapons at the engines of another pursuing ship, Loki's finger stabbed at one of the controls and he spoke to En Dwi Gast -- privately, Thor assumed, since the words did not reverberate through the planetary speaker system. "You can't think I'd have left the Stone where you could get your hands on it. Nor, for that matter, that son-of-a-Celestial."

It seemed to Thor that the death of Quill's father had robbed Quill of whatever powers he might have possessed as a Celestial-Human hybrid, but he had other things on his mind than Star-Lord's ego to discuss with Loki at the moment. "If you try to take the Stone through the wormhole..." he started to warn before he was interrupted.

"After all we've been to each other, you'd leave me? And leave me defenseless?" En Dwi Gast asked Loki in a wounded voice. Thor couldn't help making a face, though he was relieved to see that Loki looked as though he found the idea just as distasteful. "I took you in, a refugee, and showed you all the secrets of this world. You sat beside me at my tournament..."

"And when I returned, I took your throne and won the loyalty of your people," retorted Loki, banking sharply as Thor aimed exploding fireworks at an entire squadron of pleasure ships, if it could be called such. To Thor, Loki added, "Strap yourself back in. We're going into the Anus."

"Loyal Sakaarians, the Lord of Thunder has kidnapped your God-Emperor!" En Dwi Gast was announcing to the entire planet. "Bring down that ship! Bring them back!" 

An explosion rocked one side of the vessel, probably Nebula's shooting. There was no time to worry about what might happen to the Tesseract in the portal. Thor reasoned that if it had done no damage on the trip to Sakaar, perhaps it could do no more while departing. 

Loki, intent upon the controls, steepened the angle of their ascent and Thor's grip on his weapon tightened. Ahead, the Anus looked angry at their intrusion upon its commanding presence in the sky. Lightning of all colors seemed to crackle inside it. "Brother, brace -- " Loki said, his voice rising to overcome the proximity alarm their trajectory had set off. 

Then there was no more time. Gravity pressed in on them. Shifting currents of power swirled around them, unknowable images in the vapors outside. The lightning seemed to wrap around them. Then the emergency alarm halted, whether from malfunction or Loki's hand, Thor never knew. Darkness enveloped him as the ship shook and Thor's last thought before blacking out was that he was glad Loki had designed the ship to withstand the intense forces around them. 

When Thor's eyes opened again, he noticed the silence first. Even the ship itself seemed hushed, no engine sounds, no alarms, not even the hum of lighting. The next thing he noticed was that Loki's eyes were open and they were staring at Thor with an unreadable expression. For a heartstopping moment, Thor feared that Loki's eyes were unseeing, that his body had lost the fight with the singularity they had passed through. Then Loki blinked and his mouth stretched into a smile. 

"You survived," he said.

"So did you," Thor replied. His hand was still clenched around Stormbreaker's handle as he breathed in. He turned his head slowly, not by choice, but because his muscles had not quite realized they could move again. The cockpit screens had dimmed. "Where are we?"

Loki glanced at the displays. He frowned, pushed some buttons, frowned some more. Then he punched his hand into one of the displays, which momentarily lit up as if in alarm, then resumed its previous readout.

"Is something wrong?" Thor demanded.

Loki sighed, scowling. "I set the coordinates for anywhere _but_ here," he said.

"Where is 'here'?" asked Thor again. He was beginning to become concerned. They might have arrived at Jotunheim, where word of Asgard's destruction had surely caused unrest among the Frost Giants, or Helheim, to which it was very slightly possible though highly unlikely that Hela had escaped during Asgard's last moments, though Thor fervently hoped that if that were so, she would have been imprisoned again. Or the singularity might have taken them through a temporal loop and returned them to Sakaar at an earlier time. "Are we in danger?"

Loki pressed something else, and the darkened viewscreen suddenly glowed with brightness. Thor recognized the planet below them at once.

"Earth!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late -- shutdown had us busier than expected!

"Well, we aren't staying." Already Loki's fingers were flying over the controls. "We could go to Dervani. I hear the trees are lovely. Or to Ria -- I don't think they hold me responsible for the destruction of the Rainbow Bridge -- "

"Or we could take this as a sign that we should stay here. At least for a little while." Though he tried to feign concern, Thor was grinning. "It can't be an accident that we have found ourselves here. We can show our people that we have survived..."

"And then they can try to kill us," added Loki with false cheer.

"They would never. They love us. Well, me, anyway. At least they did before I hid myself away while they built New Asgard. But I'm sure all has been forgiven now that Thanos has been defeated." Thor remembered how good it had felt to use his hammer and axe together in battle, at least before Thanos had nearly crushed his skull and Steve Rogers had stepped in to wield Mjolnir. "They don't know that you aren't the same Loki who ruled over them benevolently before our sister's reign of terror. You're probably remembered quite fondly."

"Even if that's true of our own people, do you really think the people of New York will welcome me with open arms?"

Thor shook his head, but he was still smiling. "I suppose not, but we won't go to New York. We'll stay in Norway. Father told us to remember that place as home. I think we should at least pay it a visit."

Loki had opened his mouth to object to each of these statements, but in the end he merely demanded, "And your Avenger friends?"

"I'm no longer certain that the Avengers have remained a group. Since Stark is dead, his family can have no grudge..." 

He caught Loki's look of astonishment. "Tony Stark is dead?"

"Like Romanoff, he died fighting Thanos. Barton returned to his family, and if Steve Rogers is still alive, no one knows for certain where he is -- or at least no one told me. Fury is officially dead, so no longer hunting you. Coulson, I am told, came back to life, so he's no longer hunting you either..."

This time Loki's look was incredulous. "Agent Coulson came back to life?"

"So I've been told." There had been a very complicated story with time travel and visits to other planets, and Thor had been more than slightly hung over when it was explained, so he did not recall the details, but his overall impression was that Coulson's friends had bigger problems than tracking down Loki. He smiled reassuringly. "Surely the universe had a reason for depositing us at New Asgard, and we will find it out together. In fact, I have a feeling that everything will work out just fine."

Loki pressed his lips together, fingers hovering over the controls in indecision. "Your feelings are ridiculously optimistic."

"That's the spirit," Thor agreed, trying not to keep staring at Loki's mouth. 

"I'm not finished," Loki went on, fingers caressing the controls. "I will accompany you to this unwelcoming realm, but I don't want to meet this Valkyrie of yours or whoever else might be important among our people yet. I want a few days to --" His hand gestured vaguely. "Catch my breath." 

They had been in near constant pursuit, barely escaped with their lives, and fled a world that was not kind to those attempting escape. Thor nodded, easily envisioning what might happen if they were alone. They could certainly both use a bit of breath-catching. "A fine idea," he said, studying their coordinates. Despite having been to Earth many times, he was only familiar with a few places -- their people's new home, the Avengers headquarters, New York, Sokovia, and various spots in pursuit of his then-errant brother. "Where?"

Leaning back in the pilot's chair, Loki looked him over slowly. "My first impulse would be a luxury hotel, with proper servants to attend upon our every need," he said. Was it Thor's imagination that his gaze lingered in certain places that felt the flare of desire? Disappointingly, he turned back toward the course plotter. "However, that would involve the risk of detection by anyone with a long memory for my misdeeds." He punched in some destination. "I have another place in mind." He sat back again as the ship responded to his commands. "You'll like it. It's private." His gaze grew enigmatic. "I mean it, no Avengers. Not even the pretty ones." 

"Brother, I am not luring you to Earth to make you pay for crimes, here or otherwise. I want you to see the place our people have found to start a new home, and meet Valkyrie, our new king. Or queen. Or whatever." 

He thought some of the tension went out of his brother's posture. With a little laugh, Loki said, "I'm aware that there isn't much guile in you. Brother." 

Something about the way he said that last made Thor think of all the ways he wanted to misbehave in a distinctly unbrotherly way. "I have always held my own with you," he pointed out.

"Have you?" Now Loki's gaze was pointed and directed at Thor's muscular arms. "Perhaps in brute strength where you have an obvious advantage." Unconsciously Thor's arms flexed under the regard. "Be sure of what you want," Loki said, looking, for the first time, not quite as certain of himself.

"I came looking for you," Thor said, "I would never have given up."

Loki laughed again, more genuinely this time. "Your stubbornness would not allow it." His gaze wandered to the forward screen. "Pity the journey will be so short, or we could explore the rest of this ship. It's quite luxurious."

Thor's cock tightened beneath his harness. "Where is it exactly we're going?"

Loki's expression was almost apologetic, but tinged enough with his usual mischief that Thor could not quite interpret it. "You'll like it. It's not far from Tønsberg, by Earth standards. It's a place I saw in Selvig's memories. A hunting lodge. According to his sickeningly fond memories of the place, it should be vacant this time of year." He smiled as a stretch of achingly green meadow came into view. "I'm sure there will be axes."

"Someone will see us..." Thor started to say.

"None of your human friends will be able to track this ship in stealth mode," Loki told him with great satisfaction. Then he frowned, punching at the controls as the ship swung over the green beneath them and swerved toward the sea. "It's as if the damn thing has a mind of its own."

"Are you saying that they can track us?" asked Thor, clutching Stormbreaker in concern. He was fairly certain that, if necessary, he could summon the Bifrost now that they were away from Sakaar.

"I'm saying..." Again Loki scowled, pounding rather than pressing buttons. The ship responded by shaking, bouncing them both. "We're headed straight toward Tønsberg. Did you program the ship to go to New Asgard when I wasn't looking?"

"When have you not been looking? You know I haven't touched the controls." The vessel gave a lurch, and Thor's fingers tightened on the axe. "Perhaps we should --"

For a moment it seemed that the ship would turn back in the direction from which they had come. Then, as if it truly did have a mind of its own, it did a full somersault, twisting back toward the sea. It was vaguely nauseating and Thor clutched with his free hand at his armrest, though Loki had no trouble keeping his balance with both hands on the controls. Abruptly Loki barked a laugh, whirling to look at Thor. "It wants to go home!" 

"What wants to go home?" The ship jolted again, knocking Thor back into his seat. Did Loki mean that the vessel was trying to find a wormhole to return to Sakaar, or that Stormbreaker wanted to return to Nidavellir? Or was Loki simply mocking him? He watched his brother wrestle with the controls as vibrations shook the ship. "Loki! What is happening?"

The onetime God of Mischief extended a hand in a gesture that seemed familiar. A moment later, Thor realized why, as the Tesseract appeared in Loki's fingers seemingly from nowhere, just as it had when Thanos had tortured Thor in a different time to make a different Loki give up the Space Stone. Of course. The Tesseract had been hidden on Earth for centuries after Odin had defeated the Frost Giants there, nearly at the spot where New Asgard presently existed. "This is why we're here," shouted Loki over the creaking of the ship.

Thor had meant it when he'd said he never wanted to see an Infinity Stone again. "Then toss it out a hatch!" he called back.

"You know what happened the last time humans found it!" 

While it was true that, in the wrong hands, the Space Stone could be used for terrible things, Thor thought it more likely that some idiot would only succeed in blowing himself up with it and creating a crater where it could remain hidden for another thousand years. Which, Thor realized with a sigh, he could not permit. "Then give it to me," he demanded.

"I really don't think --" Again the ship lurched violently and a high-pitched whine came from the control panel. "Brother, this is not the time for --"

A massive cracking noise told Thor that they were losing an engine, or a wing, or possibly the entire rear of the vessel. He supposed that the possibility of lounging in luxury there had passed, but more importantly, with so much damage, it was very likely that they were visible to humans. "Before the whole ship breaks apart, Loki, give me the Tesseract and let me use Stormbreaker to --"

He never finished the sentence. The ship bounced off the ground with a thud, cracking open around them and sending Loki crashing against Thor. With his axe in one arm, his brother and the Tesseract in the other, he attempted to summon the Bifrost, but the Stone in Loki's hand was too strong. The world contracted violently into what felt to Thor like a single point, then just as suddenly released him. He and Loki bounced off each other, falling in opposite directions backward onto a stretch of sand as their ship fell out of the sky, crashing into the sea.

"That was unpleasant." Thor heard Loki's voice though what felt like a blanket of sand. He shook his head and realized it _was_ a blanket of sand. Sitting up sent rivulets of sand, some fused to nearly glass-like crystals, sliding off his body.

"Brother, you have a talent for understatement," he said, brushing sand out of his beard. And then brushing more. Loki lay about ten feet away, also shaking his head and brushing off his clothes. 

Somehow Loki had avoided the worst of the impact, though he was still as covered in sand as Thor, who had found himself in the center of a crater, still clutching Stormbreaker, which also was thankfully intact. They were a few dozen yards up from the surf that lapped serenely at the shore despite having just swallowed their entire ship. 

Thor tried to speak again, only to realize that the sandy feeling in his mouth _was_ sand in his mouth and to spit it out in disgust. "Where is the you-know-what?"

Loki's smile was disturbingly enigmatic. "Safe," he said, getting to his feet. He waved himself clean and stood over the edge of Thor's crater. "Anything broken?" 

"You know it takes more than a fall from space to hurt me," Thor replied, nevertheless holding out a hand to be helped up. Loki obliged, then, after surveying the still-running sand, waved Thor clean as well. 

"Have you always been able to do that?" Thor asked, looking down at himself. 

"Of course." Loki looked up and down the deserted beach in both directions. "This is not the romantic getaway I pictured," he added, and Thor grinned, pleased that Loki was feeling the same effects of thwarted desire that he himself was.

"You are not the first to be diverted from your plans by an Infinity Stone." 

Suddenly Loki brushed a kiss over Thor's cheek. "So we aren't calling it the you-know-what any longer?"

Chuckling, Thor hefted his axe. "The sooner we get rid of it, the sooner we can get back to our romantic getaway." 

Loki planted his hands on his hips, which had the effect of tossing his hair a bit. "Very well, which way to this colony of yours?"

Instead of a verbal answer, Thor wrapped his arm around Loki's waist, aimed Stormbreaker and took off for Tønsberg. He heard Loki splutter in surprise and grab on for dear life. Loki might have been able to wave his clothes into perfect condition, but he could not fly without transforming into an animal with wings, and that took more of Loki's energy than Thor suspected he wanted to expend at the moment.

From above, New Asgard looked like a quiet fishing village that would have seemed appropriate on the Scandinavian coastline a millennia previously. Thor hoped that Valkyrie had seen to improving the mobile service and persuading the local pizzeria to provide late night service for hungry gods, or rather workers. He set them down on the outskirts by the welcome sign so that Loki could appreciate the beauty of the cliffs while they walked into town. And to give himself time to think.

"I see that they have a prison," grumbled Loki.

"No longer in use. But far worse than just a prison. It was a concentration camp." When Steve Rogers had told Thor about the era in which he took super soldier serum to fight for America, he did not mention that his Nazi enemies had perverted stories of Odin and Valhalla to support their murderous regime. Thor had learned that later, from Natasha, when he had initially been pleased to discover a group of young heathens studying tales of Asgard, only to discover that they were what Romanoff called a hate group, preaching racial superiority and violence against minorities. "Loki, you know what the Red Skull did to the people who guarded the Space Stone here," Thor began, thinking aloud. "We cannot simply return it to one of the local churches."

"What do you suggest?" asked Loki, looking past the sheep dotting the hills. The sea rose beyond the cliffs, dark and ominous.

"Rogers put his ship and himself in the ocean to conceal the Tesseract," Thor said, thinking aloud. "Tony Stark's father was able to find it because he had some idea of the location where it had gone down. But if I put it deep in the sea, no one on Earth will even know it's there."

"We will know," Loki pointed out.

"You won't know precisely where. And I shall keep the secret hidden always." A niggling thought reminded Thor that Loki was skilled at ripping memories from people, but he could not believe that Loki would do such a thing to him, not this Loki, not now. "The truth will remain..."

"It's Thor!" They had been spotted. Quickly Loki cast a glamour around himself like the one that had kept the people of New York from screaming in terror when Thor and the other Loki had gone in search of Odin there, before Hela, before the Infinity War. A small crowd soon surrounded them. "Are you back to stay? Are the other realms safe? Did you hear about the new craft brewery?"

A cold bottle had been put in Thor's hand before they reached the center of town. And the questions continued. Thor tried to answer them, laughing, glancing at Loki who watched him with amusement.

"Thor!" It was Valkyrie, striding toward him in a dress that looked somehow functional for heavy lifting and regal all at once. "What are you doing here?"

"Your Majesty!" Thor greeted her with a wide grin. "You know, I was in this part of the galaxy so I just dropped in to say hello..."

"That was your ship that crashed?" She gestured out at the water where the luxury craft had gone down, shaking her head. 

Thor was about to give her his most charming smile and suggest that their people might help with the ship's retrieval and repair when he received a truly delightful surprise. Another woman was approaching, also dressed like a queen yet looking like she could lift the heavy stones on the hillside without breaking a sweat. "Sif!" he shouted, breaking into a run toward her. "I thought you must be dead!" Laughing as she threw her arms around him, he twirled her around, his smile wavering only when he saw Loki's glare.

"I thought _he_ was dead," Valkyrie said, indicating Loki.

"I _was_ dead," Sif replied as Thor set her down at a respectable distance. "Turned to dust. Your Avenger friends brought me back." Evidently Sif had not been on Asgard when Hela arrived, or Thor had no doubt that she would have perished along with the Warriors Three. "Meanwhile, I am told you managed to destroy the Realm Eternal." Sif's gaze shifted to Loki, and for a moment Thor thought that she would draw a weapon. 

"Surely Valkyrie explained that that was not our doing. Surtur destroyed Asgard," Thor replied quickly. Loki showed a bit of teeth in an approximation of a smile. Technically, the destruction of Asgard _had_ been Loki's doing, since he'd been the one who had restored Surtur and brought Ragnarok to completion, but it had been Thor's idea.

"Hela destroyed Asgard. Surtur just finished the job," put in Valkyrie. She crossed her arms, assessing Thor and Loki both. "Now, what are you really doing here?"

There were far too many eyes on them for Thor to answer that question where they stood. "Perhaps we can discuss it over a meal. Loki and I have not eaten for far too long." Thor was aware of both Valkyrie and Sif glancing at his belly, still less muscular than in his finest fighting shape, and quickly added, "I can make a salad."

Though fishing equipment and other signs of a healthy trade in seafood could be seen along the seawall, Valkyrie led them away from the water. Perhaps, Thor thought hopefully, the Asgardians had built restaurants in the town. But as they walked, with Loki muttering that royalty was surely entitled to ride horses, Thor realized that she was leading them to his old house, where, presumably, his old friends were still in residence. 

"You'll have to keep your voices down. Miek has eggs," warned Valkyrie.

"Miek is female?" Thor's only replies were glares from both Valkyrie and Sif. "That is, if Miek isn't non-binary or hermaphroditic. There's nothing wrong with hermaphrodites, of course, I like hermaphrodites. Not in a creepy way, just more like a respectful appreciation." Loki elbowed him in the ribs, and Thor took the hint to change the subject, clearing his throat. "It's convenient if that is where you're taking us, because Loki and I need to discuss a very important subject with them. I may have a job for them. But first..."

They were passing an alley between stone houses. Thor stepped into the narrow space, gesturing for Loki to follow. After a glance between them confirming their mutual suspicions, Valkyrie and Sif followed. "What are you up to?" the King of Asgard demanded.

Thor made a gesture with his hand as if holding a large cube. After a moment, Loki did the same, except that when he finished, the Tesseract rested between his fingers.

"Is that what I think it is? I thought you said it was destroyed!" Sif said to Valkyrie.

"Destroyed after the Snap, retrieved from an earlier timeline..." Valkyrie's eyes widened as she took in Loki, though her words were directed at Thor. "This isn't the Lackey who fought with us on Asgard -- the one Thanos killed. He's still dead, isn't he?"

_No resurrections this time_ , Thanos had said. Even in that, he had been outsmarted. Despite the fury on Loki's face at what Valkyrie had called him, Thor couldn't help but smile. 

"This Loki escaped with this Tesseract from Earth just after the Battle of New York. I found him on Sakaar. He helped me escape."

Valkyrie frowned. "Then doesn't that mean we're in a separate timeline? I'm still trying to understand how Steve Rogers made a time loop into his own past."

"That shouldn't be possible," agreed Sif.

"Steve Rogers did what?" None of this was making sense to Thor.

"It's a long story," sighed Valkyrie. "New Asgard's harvest failed. It was suggested to me that if Captain America was worthy to wield the hammer, he was surely worthy to perform a fertility ritual. But when I looked for him, I discovered that there was a new Captain America..."

"A fertility ritual? You wanted to have sex with Steve Rogers?" Loki chuckled scornfully.

"Not _that_ kind of fertility ritual!" When Loki continued to laugh, Valkyrie took a menacing step toward him. "If you aren't the Loki who fought with us on Asgard, then you are the one who murdered dozens of people on this world!"

"So was the one who fought with us on Asgard," Thor reminded her, trying to step between her and the Infinity Stone in Loki's hand before Loki got any ideas about trying to use it. The space in the alley was too narrow. "We didn't intend to come here. The Tesseract brought us here. It was on this planet for many years -- perhaps it feels familiar. We need to hide it where it will never be found, before anyone else learns that it still exists and tries to use it to do even more damage."

Valkyrie's gaze went from Thor's face to Loki's to Sif's. "This is what we are going to do," she began in a voice that brooked no disagreement. "Thor and I are going to hide the Tesseract. Sif, you take Loki to Korg and Miek to discuss whatever proposition Thor had in mind for them." Both Sif and Loki looked as if they would object to this proposal. Valkyrie's hand went to the hilt of the Dragonfang sword. "Any questions?"

Somewhat sheepishly, Thor raised his hand. "Do we have a ship?"


	8. Chapter 8

What Valkyrie expected Thor to board was not a ship. 

"I'm not getting on that thing," he balked. "My axe will take me where I need to go."

"Don't be a coward." Swinging one leg over the winged stallion's flank, Valkyrie pulled herself seemingly without effort onto its back. "She can carry us both, and your axe, and the Tesseract."

Hesitantly, Thor patted the great steed's muzzle and was rewarded with a face full of horse sneeze. While he wiped his beard, Loki asked, "Where did she come from? I thought the flying horses had all died with the Valkyries."

"That is a long story, and we have a job to do." With a glare that suggested he had better not disagree, Valkyrie reached out to help Thor mount the stallion behind her. Though the Tesseract was secured in a pouch at his waist, he had to pass Stormbreaker to Sif to clamber onto the horse, and from the corner of his eye could see her tossing the axe experimentally from hand to hand as if assessing what she could do with it.

"Does this mean that I'm worthy?" she asked him with a flourish of the weapon.

"It doesn't work that way. Now give it back." Thor thought that Sif was giving him a flirtatious look, and smiled at her, only to realize that she was leaning past him to kiss Valkyrie full on the mouth. 

"Fly safely, sister." Sif pressed Stormbreaker into Thor's grip as Loki gave him a nod. A moment later, Thor clutched at Valkyrie with his free hand, for the stallion had lurched forward and leapt into the air, its great wings beating as it rose toward the sky.

"That didn't look like a family farewell," he called to Valkyrie.

"Neither does the way you look at your brother," she shouted back to him over the wind and the sound of the stallion's wings. The sea churned beneath them. It really would have made far more sense for Thor to have flown over the water with the axe, but this was Valkyrie's territory now. "Did you really come to Earth by accident? You said you had a job for Korg and Miek."

"Not my job, really. Others will be coming to ask them -- do you remember Quill and Gamora from the Battle of Earth?" Once they realized that Loki had taken the Tesseract from Sakaar, they might have additional questions on Earth, Thor mused uneasily. "Loki did not want to come -- not to Earth, not to New Asgard. But I wanted to see you."

"Come to check up on me?" Valkyrie asked smugly, though that might have been because she was shouting against the wind. "We're doing well, all things considered. Sif is brilliant. I plan to make her my _skjaldmær_."

Thor had trouble imagining Sif serving as shield-maiden to anyone, then he realized that that wasn't what Valkyrie meant. "The King of Asgard should have a Queen," he agreed. "But what was that about you and Captain America?"

"Nothing!" she shouted crossly, her hair whipping across his face in the wind. "What's going on between you and Loki?"

"Nothing!" he repeated, grateful now that the wind made conversation difficult. 

"Right," Valkyrie called back, sounding skeptical. "I'm sure that's why he agreed to hand the Stone over to you. Where are we putting that thing?"

Dark clouds were gathering overhead, not of Thor's making; he suspected that the Tesseract was somehow responsible. "As far north and away from land as possible," he told Valkyrie. Though being God of Thunder meant that he was rarely aware of being cold and wet, he was both now, and eager to rid himself of the Tesseract forever.

They tore through endless tracts of icy churning waves, the steed's wings beating steadily. Finally Valkyrie seemed to find the place she had been searching for, and shouted back to him. "Land's End. We're past Rossøya, practically at the North Pole. It's either here or in a glacier."

Thor shifted behind her, surveying the cold water and the slope of ice ahead. It was a strangely beautiful place, the colors captured in the ice a blue that nearly matched the eerie light of the Tesseract. "Here then," he said, flexing around Stormbreaker.

"What are you waiting for?" she said, leaning back to pitch her voice closer to Thor's ear as the winds were howling even harder around them.

"We can't take the chance it will go astray," Thor said, his voice grim. "I'll have to take it down myself." His thighs tensed to make the leap. 

"Wait, what? You'll drown!" 

It was difficult to roll his eyes in the fierce storm raging around them but Thor was determined. "God of Thunder, remember? Master of Storms?" He shifted to jump. "Go back to the village. I'll have Stormbreaker bring me back!" 

With that, he plunged into the shockingly cold depths of the North Atlantic, wrapping wind in the form of air around him. He breathed in deeply before plunging down, down, down. It was colder than Jotunheim in winter, but his body bore the chill and the enormous pressure of the water pushing against his frame. Grateful for the help of his nearly restored muscles, he angled along the ice shelf until he spotted a dark fissure that seemed to split the ocean floor for miles. 

"Go straight to Helheim," he whispered, dropping the malignant object into the depths. He watched it sink until he could no longer see the light of the Space Stone. Then he stayed longer, until he could feel the crushing weight around him. Clutching Stormbreaker, he lifted it toward the surface and flew on powerful currents.

When he burst out of the water, the storm had vanished, though the skies still pressed in closely here at the top of the world. He was pleased that Valkyrie had indeed flown on ahead of him. The mighty axe bore him over the waves unerringly, and the clouds lightened with every mile closer until the village, bathed in the soft half-light of twilight, came into view. 

Even before he could knock on the door of what had at one time been his own home, Thor could hear arguing within. "No mortal woman can use God Powers," Loki was scoffing. "You expect me to believe that she can bring down an ice giant?"

"Miek has already done it," Korg insisted. "Once she defeats the lightning giant, the ice giant, the fire giant, and the warrior giant, she will fight Odin himself."

Did Korg not remember that Odin was dead? Confused, Thor pushed the door open without knocking. "There will be no defeating any ice giants today," he warned.

"Thor!" Before he could say another word, Thor found himself in the rocky embrace of the Kronan. "We've missed you! Valkyrie upgraded the cable, and the entire village has Netflix."

"That's very good news," Thor agreed, patting Korg on the back and trying not to knock off any pebbles. "It's so good to see you, my friend! Did Loki tell you why we're here?"

"I have to tell you, he wasn't making very much sense." Thor expected Loki to object strongly to this statement and glanced over nervously, but Loki was scowling deeply at the game controller in his hands, paying no attention to anything else in the room -- not even Sif and Valkyrie, who were practically wrapped up in each other on the sofa. "He said you want me to go back to Sakaar."

"Indeed I do. I want you to return, as a hero of the revolution, to help form a new government with no Grandmaster." Korg was staring as if he thought Thor even more mad than Loki, so Thor smiled encouragingly. "I can think of no better leaders than you and Miek. You are both known there, you're respected..."

Abruptly Loki cursed loudly in three languages. "It isn't possible to reach this Rune!"

"Loki, what are you doing?"

Glancing up as if he had just noticed Thor's return, Loki flung the controller to the floor. "They have a ridiculous tournament on this television called _Jotun_ ," he announced. "This ordinary Viking woman can wield your hammer!"

"Perhaps she took Super Soldier Serum," said Sif, winking at Valkyrie. "Loki, it's only a game. There's no need to behave like a child."

"You mewling..." Loki began. Fortunately, or so Thor thought, he was interrupted by a banging on the door.

"Come in," called out Korg with a shrug.

Gamora strode into the room with Quill trying to keep up behind her. "I am here as an emissary of..." she began. But the moment she saw Loki, her hand went to the weapon at her side. "So this is where you are! What have you done with the Tesseract? Are you holding these people hostage?"

"Quail! Gamora!" Thor stepped in, smiling, as though they were old friends. "I never expected to see you again so soon. As you can see, we found Korg and Miek, and Loki has been discussing their possible return to Sakaar."

Gamora did not smile as though Thor was an old friend, or a friend at all. "Where. Is. The. Tesseract?" she demanded again through clenched teeth, brandishing her blaster.

"Yeah, where is it?" repeated Quill, lowering his voice to sound like Thor.

"Safely hidden where no one can find it. Not even Loki." Valkyrie had disentangled herself from Sif and was rising to her feet, looking both regal and threatening. "Welcome to New Asgard."

"It's true," Thor added quickly. "Valkyrie and I have placed the Tesseract out of reach. It was safe on this planet for hundreds of years. It will remain safe again."

Neither Gamora nor Quill looked placated, but now that it was apparent there were no hostages being held, they lowered their weapons. "I remember you," she said, looking from Korg to Miek. "You fought in the Battle of Earth." Korg puffed up a bit at this compliment, but deflated at Gamora's next words. "How can you be the hero who can unite Sakaar when you're a Kronan who's been living on Earth?"

Everyone looked stumped by this until Loki spoke up. "Perhaps Miek is the real hero."

It surprised Thor to hear Loki say such a thing. This was not, after all, the Loki who had fought beside Miek and Korg on the Rainbow Bridge to save the Asgardians from Hela's undead army. But Loki was not looking at Miek. He was looking at Thor as if he was extremely impatient to be done with all this debate so that they could be alone. Thor has to clear his throat before he could say, "Of course Miek is a hero of Sakaar."

"Miek is also a hero of Asgard," Valkyrie reminded them. "She fought with us to save our people from the Goddess of Death."

"You see? You can take them back to Sakaar as the heroes they are." Thor put in as if this settled everything. "

Loki got off the couch, and the little house suddenly seemed very crowded. "They can rule side by side, as you --" And here Loki gave a little bow that made the already scrunched space feel even more claustrophobic. "-- and Sif are doing." 

"It does have merit," Valkyrie said, looking as though she was already thinking of ways to repurpose Thor's old house once everyone had vacated it. 

Loki set down the controller on the couch and sidled between Korg and Quill, who were arguing over who was the bigger hero in their respective battles. In the small space, it was only a few steps, but Thor noted his progress with an eagerness he had not felt in a long time. He had always admired the way Loki moved so that when his brother had called him an oaf he had genuinely felt ungainly. 

"Our work here is done," Loki said in a quiet voice. 

"I will go back as well," Gamora declared, "to ensure a smooth transition of ruling power."

"Me too," Quill piped up at once, though Gamora gave him a look that said she required no assistance. Or perhaps it was a look that said she was tired of avoiding his puppy-like insistence on remaining by her side. 

The noise level in the room rose steadily, though, to Thor's ears, it seemed as Loki had said. Everything was settled now, and the beings in the room were just chasing the same outcomes by arguing about it. Wordlessly he nodded toward the door and got a frisson of pleasure when Loki slipped his hand into Thor's and followed him out in the fresh air.

There was no outcry at their departure, though they pulled the topmost coats from the rack by the door and stood inhaling the cheese-free air for a moment outside. To Thor's eyes, it appeared that Loki's smile was free of any sort of double meaning or subterfuge. He hoped there was nothing wary in his own expression, for truly he was eager simply to be alone with this Loki and discover what lay beyond the tricks and silver tongue. 

"We had been discussing a hunting lodge," Loki said, tucking his arm into Thor's. Inside the house behind them, Gamora's raised voice called out something that had the word "idiot" in it, but Thor could not make out the rest. Nor did he wish to. 

"We have fixed the universe," he said with satisfaction. 

"Again," Loki agreed. "Now, do you intend for us to walk halfway across Norway to Hordaland, or will that axe of yours take us?"

Thor was not entirely certain how to reach Hordaland, but he knew that it was to the west, and Stormbreaker had always done a fine job of landing him exactly where he wished to be. Plus he did not intend to give up an opportunity to show off for Loki. Wrapping an arm tightly around his brother's waist, Thor let the axe take them over the water to the island.

As Loki had promised, the lodge appeared to be deserted and quite isolated. It had a chimney and stood by a stream, though the edges of the water were beginning to ice over in the dim evening light. He had to set Loki down so that Loki could manage the keypad by the door, incongruous in the rustic setting, though a hopeful sign that the large cabin had running water inside. When Loki turned the handle, Thor stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"I feel as though I should carry you over the threshold."

Raising his eyebrows, Loki gave him a cocky grin. "Are we having a wedding? You always were a traditionalist."

Laughing, Thor reached for him, waiting for Loki to put his arms around his neck. "No, but we have postponed this for so long that I feel something is called for." Scooping him up, he pushed the door open with his foot, trying to step with proper gravity over the sill as he gazed down at Loki. "Maybe I just wanted an excuse to have you in my arms."

Loki leaned his face closer. "You must know now that you only ever had to say so."

Thor set Loki on his feet, though he kept him close. "And you know I can be a little thick."

Grinning agreeably, Loki tossed his hair, his arms still around Thor's neck. "I would just like to point out that you said it, not me."

"I am learning, brother." Returning the smile, Thor bent his head closer to Loki's. "I want to learn everything that pleases you."

"We shall learn together." Loki's mouth brushed over his. "Shall we take off these coats?"

For the first time Thor focused on their surroundings. The room was comfortable but cozy, with a fireplace taking up most of one wall. Someone had stacked firewood in a metal rack nearby. He reached for Loki's sleeve to help him out of the coat, then allowed Loki to do the same for him, putting the coats over the back of a chair before heading over to the grate. There were no flints or matches, but of course that was not a problem for a God of Thunder, who summoned a spark of lightning to set the wood burning.

Loki was watching intently with an expression that Thor had once taken to be envy but he now recognized as arousal. "That pleases me," murmured Loki.

Immediately Thor's clothing felt too constricting. The room had a small kitchen area with tools for skinning fish and a sofa beside a wooden rack of books, but more space was taken up by the enormous bed, covered in woven blankets and draped at the head with curtains. "We can enjoy our powers at last," he said, walking back to where Loki watched him. "No realms to save, no enemies to subdue."

"Are you sure you won't grow bored?" asked Loki.

Thor gave him a skeptical look. "Are you sure _you_ won't?"

"I'm not the one who was always running off across the Nine Realms looking for a fight." With a grin, Loki sat on the edge of the bed and began to unlace his boots. "And you had an entire cohort as well as me."

"They were not you." Thor watched his brother's casual air, envying it a bit. More cautiously, he sat beside him on the bed, reaching over to brush hair away from his face. "No one else has ever been you. No one has ever known me as well as you." Loki leaned in to his touch, and Thor could not resist the invitation, kissing down his jaw. "I want to know you even better. Every part of you."

Loki's fingers closed around Thor's arm and he flexed a bit to show that although he was not in peak form, his muscles were still formidable. "I can take many forms," Loki reminded him. "What would please you?"

Firmly, Thor shook his head. "Don't change anything. I desire you as you are, as I have known you." He captured Loki's mouth in a kiss. "I want that more than anything. But I don't -- I am not certain how --"

Loki raised his eyebrows at Thor's stammer. "Surely you know how to do more than kiss."

"I know many things, but I think you know many more." Thor nuzzled down his throat. "You may have to instruct me on a few finer points."

Loki's head tilted, giving Thor access to his collarbone, fingers sliding through his hair. "Why don't you tell me what else you have dreamed of?"

"Touching you. Having you touch me." Groaning, Thor arched toward him, rubbing his face against Loki's chest. "Seeing pleasure in your eyes. Feeling you reach for me with desire." Remembering the heat in Loki's expression when he had set the fire kindling, Thor conjured a spark of lightning, making all the hair on Loki's chest stand on end and drawing a groan from him.

"I won't have to instruct you on those points." Loki's tongue swiped around Thor's ear, giving Thor goosebumps as well. "Now let me see you."

Loki was pushing his shirt off his shoulders, yet Thor hesitated. "You know that I am not as I once was."

"I don't care. I haven't seen all of you since we were boys, and believe me, I've tried to steal a look or two."

This Thor did believe, and he laughed. "We deserve more than glimpses." His trousers tangled on his boots and he yanked them off together, tossing them in the direction of the coats. "So much more. You must have felt my eyes on you."

Now Loki laughed, crawling over him. "I always assumed it was because you were suspicious of what I was up to."

"I was." Thor's fingers slid over Loki's cheek. "But I was also thinking of ways to keep you too busy for plotting." He felt Loki lick the inside of his wrist and growled, flipping them over so that he could straddle Loki. "Now I will be keeping you busy for a very long time. I may never let you leave this bed."

There was laughter in Loki's moan of delight. "Not even to eat those -- what was that, with the orange liquid that was supposed to be cheese --"

Thor was busy kissing down his chest. "I cannot think of food when you are in my arms." Loki arched up to meet him and Thor circled his tongue around a nipple. "You are so sleek and exciting."

"I feel that way when you touch me like this." Loki sounded gratifyingly eager as his thigh pressed carefully between Thor's thighs. "But I can't reach you."

Thor did not wish to be called an oaf again, yet he had not worked out how he might learn what he intended from Loki while at the same time giving Loki pleasure. "What do you suggest?" he asked.

He could hear the smirk in his brother's reply as Loki said, "You could turn around." Scrambling on all fours, Thor obeyed -- he liked being on top of Loki and did not wish to switch positions. Dragging his beard over Loki's belly, he buried his face in the thick hair below, feeling something hot and wet that could only be Loki's tongue slide up his thigh. 

"We fit together so well already. I want to discover all the ways we can." 

Loki's mouth brushed across his balls, making Thor groan. He strained to do the same, swiping his tongue across the base of Loki's cock, which gave a pleasing throb. "You always did enjoy charging in," observed Loki breathlessly.

"We can go slowly some other time." Quivering, Thor shifted to cup his balls. "I have wanted to do this since I saw you on Sakaar." Feeling Loki's tongue moving around the head of his cock and not wanting to embarrass himself by finishing nearly before they had started, he conjured a small spark and let Loki feel the electric jolt from his fingers. 

He had touched himself so enough times to believe that Loki would find it pleasing instead of painful, and indeed Loki shuddered and bucked. "Oh yes, keep doing that!"

Loki might have been with many men before, but Thor was certain that none of them could stimulate him by summoning lightning, which made him smile as he rubbed his mouth over the head of Loki's cock, tasting him as he had imagined for so long. "I love everything about this. How you smell, how you taste..."

A groan cut off his words, for Loki's mouth was sliding slowly up and down his cock, taking him in more deeply than he would have imagined possible. Of course, Loki had talents beyond those of other men as well. Thor tried to do the same, though he quickly discovered that he needed more practice as his throat tightened and his eyes watered. At least Loki appeared not to notice, groaning when he came up for air. "You're just as big and perfect as I imagined."

Thor knew that he was not in the shape he once had been, and his size was nothing within his own control, but he was glad it pleased Loki. He moved with more confidence, sucking the head of Loki's cock, stroking the base, as Loki's head bobbed up and down, taking him in deep once more. A shudder ran through Thor's body as he conjured more lightning, feeling it spark from his own skin to his brother's and back. Loki's fingers stroked his balls as his tongue danced over his cock, and at once it was too much. "I can't, oh fuck --"

Then Thor was bucking into Loki's mouth, erupting with a wail. The small fragment of sense that he retained hoped that the jolts surging through him were not causing Loki pain, but Loki was shuddering in pleasure as well, hips jolting upward even as he swallowed around Thor, milking his cock. Thor had not quite figured out how to suck and catch his breath at the same time, focusing on getting angle right, sparks still sputtering from his fingertips when Loki cried out, "I'm --"

Feeling his mouth filling up, Thor tried to swallow quickly and was proud that he did not gag, though wetness streaked over his chin into his beard as Loki roared his pleasure. Panting, he rubbed his damp cheek against Loki's cock. "I could not wait for you. I could last no longer."

"I enjoyed the result." Loki's laugh was breathless. "I did try to warn you. What you can do with lightning --"

"I did notice that you liked it." With some bouncing, Thor managed to turn around in the bed so that he could grin at Loki. "I want to do that a lot more."

Grinning, Loki, tugged him in for a kiss. "We can do it so many ways."

"I want to learn all of them. Every way of pleasing you." Thor's fingers tangled in Loki's hair.

"I'm not even sure I know all the ways of pleasing me." Now Loki's chuckle was rueful. "Do you know all the ways of pleasing you?"

With a smile Thor kissed him again. "I'm glad there are things we can learn together." He felt Loki's fingers slide over his chest. "My earliest fantasies were about you. I thought I would outgrow them, but I never did."

"It was the same for me." Loki gave him a squeeze as Thor's beard rubbed over his shoulder. "I thought I _should_ outgrow them. Then I thought them one more indication that I was a monster."

"You were never a monster to me," Thor confessed. "Even when you did monstrous things, the thing I wanted the most was only to have you to myself." He lifted his head slightly. "Does that make me a monster?"

"We shall have a long time to debate it." Loki gave Thor's earlobe a brief tug between his teeth. "You may have me to yourself for as long as you like."

"I want every moment of it with you." Purring in pleasure, Thor let his cheek rest against Loki's shoulder. He wanted to make love, but he had not slept properly in longer than he could remember, and relaxing like this with Loki was nearly as pleasurable as what had come before. "I deserve this," he added stubbornly. "I knew I would find you."

He could hear the grin in Loki's voice as Loki replied, "I knew you would, too. Somehow you always do."

"I always will." Thor smiled back. "Though now that I have collected you, I will not allow anything to keep us apart again."


End file.
